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Washington Doorway 










































1 












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ASHINGTON 
D O O RWAY S 


BY 

ANNABEL PAXTON 

N 


WITH SKETCHES BY 

Frederick M. Moss 
Newman S. Sudduth 
Joseph E. Blanton 
Howard W. Armstrong 



THE DIETZ PRESS, Publishers 

RICHMOND *.• VIRGINIA 

1 94 ° 
















Copyright, 1940 
BY 

THE DIETZ PRESS 

RICHMOND, VA. 


RECEIVED 

SEP - 9 1940 

COPYRIGHT OFFICE 

COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 


Printed in the United States of America. 


Foreword 


( ^ou,K<tivki,y, the doorways of Washington prob- 
> al)ly have more of interest to offer to more people 
than those of any other city in America. This is so 
because they not only record every important phase of 
architecture in this country during a period of approxi¬ 
mately two hundred years, but are also intimately asso¬ 
ciated with the most colorful personalities and events 
in the nation’s history. 

In these days of progress buildings are transitory 
and our architectural heritage, unprotected, all too 
often passes without recording. It is therefore fitting 
to preserve at least the memory of a few of the door¬ 
ways of the Nation’s Capital and, insofar as possible, 
to recall the silent part some have played in American 
history. 

To many people, a doorway is little more than a 
prosaic opening in a wall through which to hurry to 
and fro. Others associate this useful wall opening 
with romance, tragedy or comedy. Still others pick its 
architectural hones and wonder who prepared the dish 
-delectable or otherwise. 

The historian revels in a knowledge of famous per¬ 
sonages who crossed these Washington doorway thres¬ 
holds. Incidents of long ago awaken interest in what, 
also, may have a beauty all its own. Events, significant 
and commonplace, and activities of social and political 
bigwigs are recalled. Permitting imagination to roam, 
the historic'ally-minded are transported back to other 
days and scenes. 

Hut to the architecturally-minded the proportions of 
the doorway and its relation to the composition of the 
facade are judged. 'The eye sees subtle refinements of 
surfaces and mouldings, recesses and reveals; nuances 


Foreword 


in design and detail unnoticed except to the practiced 
eye. The initiated see in the doorway motif a record 
of society and testimony of the ever changing taste of 
a fickle public. 

I am here reminded by the author of Washington 
Doorways that the volume lays no claim to a recording 
of only the finest in architecture or the most important 
and interesting from an historical standpoint. She re¬ 
grets that it is impractical to make complete mention of 
all individuals, documents, books and papers contribut¬ 
ing to the historical notations. She also warns that 
human memory is not infallible and available data are 
often conflicting as to statement and detail. Earnest 
effort has been made, however, to avoid inaccuracies. 

It was at £he suggestion of Mr. Ben McKelway, 
Managing Editor, The Washington Star, that Wash¬ 
ington Doorways was originally undertaken. The ma¬ 
terial was published as a feature in the Saturday edition 
of that newspaper. The author has asked me to ex¬ 
press her appreciation of the permission of the Wash¬ 
ington Star to publish the series in its entirety in a 
single volume and of the cooperation of the artists who 
undertook the task of recording the spirit and detail of 
the doorways in pen and ink. This I gladly do. I also 
express my own appreciation for having had an oppor¬ 
tunity to assist in the production of this book, in an 
editorial capacity. 


Benjamin Franklin Betts, 

Former Editor, American Architect 


Contents 



Year 

Page 

Arts Club of Washington 

2017 I Street, N. W. 

1806 

3 

Blair House cir. 

1651 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. 

1824 

9 

Tudor Place cir. 

1644 Thirty-first Street, N. W. 

1800 

13 

Henry Adams House 

2618 Thirty-first Street, N. W. 

Original location, H. Street, N. W. 
near Sixteenth 

1885 

19 

1234 Nineteenth Street, N. W. cir. 

1855 

23 

The White House cir. 

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N. W. 

l8l5 

29 

Folger Shakespeare Library 

201 E. Capitol Street, S. E. 

1932 

35 

John R. McLean House 

1500 I Street, N. W. 

Demolished in 1939 

1907 

41 

The Lindens 

2401 Kalorama Road, N. W. 

Originally built in Danvers, Mass. 

1754 

45 

John Hay House 

3014 Woodland Drive, N, W. 

Originally at 16th and H Sts., N. W. 

1885 

49 

Decatur House 

Jackson Place and H St. 

Lafayette Square, N. W. 

l8l9 

53 

British Embassy 

3100 Massachusetts Avenue, N. W. 

1931 

59 

Highlands 

1815 

63 


3825 Wisconsin Avenue, N. W. 


Contents 


District of Columbia 

Year 

Page 

Court House 

D and 4th Streets, N. W. 

1820-1920 

67 

Dumbarton House 

2715 Q Street, N. W. 

cir. 1750 

73 

Alva Belmont House 

Second and B Streets, N. E. 

cir. 1820 

77 

Federal Reserve Building 

Constitution Ave. and 20th St., N. W. 

1937 

83 

Hiram Johnson House 

2nd St. and Maryland Ave., N. E. 

1899 

89 

Alexander Bell House 

1525 Thirty-fifth Street, N. W. 

cir. 1845 

93 

Lucius Tuckerman House 

1600 I Street, N. W. 

1886 

97 

Friendship House cir. 

630 So. Carolina Avenue, S. E. 

1796-1856 

103 

Pan-American Union Annex 

201 Eighteenth Street, N. W. 

1912 

109 

National Academy of Sciences 
Constitution Ave. and 21st St., N. W. 

1924 

115 

Lenthall Houses 

612-614 Nineteenth Street, N. W. 

cir. 1800 

121 

Christopher Lehman House 

3049 M. Street, N. W. 

1764 

127 

White Horse Tavern 

1524 Thirty-third Street, N. W. 

cir. 1771 

131 

Octagon House 

1741 New York Avenue, N. W. 

1880 

135 

H. B. Warder House 

National Museum 

1885 

141 


THE ARTISTS 


Frederick M. Moss 

Newman S. Sudduth 

Joseph E. Blanton 
Howard W. Armstrong 


Facing Pages 3, 9, 13, 29, 
35? 4i, 45? 53? 63, 67, 73, 
83? 93? 115? 127? !3i? 
135- 

Facing Pages 19, 49, 59, 
89, 97, 109, 121, 141. 

Facing Page 23. 

Facing Page 77. 








Arts Club of Was king ton 



ARTS CLUB OF WASHINGTON, 201 7 I STREET, N. W. 














































Arts Club of Washington 


The home of the Arts Club of Washington, more than a 
century old, rich in simple, dignified American tradition 


T he beauty of Washington’s Arts Club doorway 
speaks for itself. Only the records tell of the 
statesmen, artists and socialites that have passed 
through it. It is said President Madison galloped 
through the doorway on horseback to escape capture 
from British troops while his cabinet were here in con¬ 
ference—the White House being in the process of 
rebuilding after destruction by the British in August, 
1814. Another story declared the rider to be a British 
soldier in search of a spot of adventure. 

Pre-eminent, the Arts Club house, with its semi¬ 
circular fanlight doorway flanked with narrow side¬ 
lights, is in a neighborhood of old houses. Fronting on 
a triangular park on the north side of Pennsylvania 
Avenue, the site was originally part of a large farm 
known as Widow’s Mite. It had been patented to 
Anthony Holmead, an Englishman. Before the cession 
to the United States by the State of Maryland of land 
for the site of the Capital City, the farm of Holmead 
had been divided. The part which included the site of 
the Arts Club was owned by James Macubbin Lingan. 
Lingan was an officer in the Maryland line during the 
War of the American Revolution, a captive on the 
prison ship Jersey, a friend of George Washington and 
collector of the port of Georgetown at the outbreak of 
the War of 1812. 

On division between commissioners, appointed by 
President Washington for the purpose of laying out 

[ 3 ] 




Washington Doorways 

the city of Washington, the Arts Club property was 
allotted in 1791 to Lingan, General Uriah Forrest and 
Benjamin Stoddart of Maryland, first Secretary of the 
United States Navy. All three were prominent inves¬ 
tors in land in the Territory of Columbia, as the Dis¬ 
trict was then called. 

Lingan sold 'the west 25-foot front of the site for 
$492.18 in 1802 to Timothy Caldwell of Philadelphia, 
who erected the building which now stands at the back 
of the main structure. In 1806 Caldwell purchased 
from Lingan for $432.50, a small portion of land 
adjoining the 25 feet on the east and enlarged the 
house he had built by adding the front part of 2017 I 
Street. In 1808 Caldwell sold the building for $10,000 
to Postmaster^General Gideon Granger. 

Granger held title to the property for five years, 
reconveying it in 1813 to Caldwell, who retained 
ownership until 1840 at which time Francis Markoe, 
Jr., of Pennsylvania, president of Columbia Institute, 
purchased it. He and his heirs lived in the building 
until it was disposed of by the latter in 1877 to Pro¬ 
fessor Celeveland Albee, who was practically the 
founder of the United States Weather Bureau. He 
owned the house at the time of his death, in 1916. 

In its life of more than 100 years this house has 
been the property of only three families. It is now 
owned and occupied by the Arts Club of Washington. 

Built in the early 1800s, the present home of the 
Arts Club is an excellent example of the late Georgian 
era of architecture in America—a period just previous 
to that of the Greek Revival. The house is two stories 
high and built of red brick, laid in Flemish bond, a 
favorite method at the time it was constructed. The 
facade is most simple, the beauty of its design being 

[ 4 ] 


Washington Doorways 


due largely to its well-proportioned and well-located 
windows and wall areas, sparing use of stone trim, 
wooden shutters and the care and attention lavished 
upon the doorway as a center of interest. 

The doorway has a finely molded achitrave and 
keystone. The solid paneled door is framed by deli¬ 
cately molded and ornamented mullions and transom 
bar. A well-proportioned fanlight with wooden mun- 
tins fills the arch above the door and narrow side-lights 
flank the sides. The workmanship is exceeded only by 
the dignified and stately classical character of its design. 


[ s J 




B/air House 


BLAIR HOUSE, 165 I PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N. W. 





























































































































Blair House 


Through the stately Ionic portico and doorway of the 
Blair House have passed the members and friends of 
one family for more than a hundred years 


W ITH all the repose and formal dignity of the early 
19th century townhouse, the old Blair House, 
restored, is an impressive four-story brick building 
covered with light yellow stucco trimmed in white. 
Stone lintels span its broad, green-shuttered windows. 

The simple, stately and dignified Ionic entrance 
portico is an example of the transitional architecture of 
the late Georgian and early classic revival periods. 
The mass and character of the portico make it a 
center of interest that never fails to attract the atten¬ 
tion of passers-by. Its graceful Ionic columns are 
echoed in lower tone by similar but lesser columns on 
each side of the entrance door. These columns sup¬ 
port a broad entablature forming the transom bar. A 
semi-circular fan-light of simple design completes the 
doorway composition. 

Strong, yet refined and graceful, the present iron 
fence terminates in iron lamp standards of unusual and 
pleasing design, at either side of the entrance steps. 
Swinging on up the steps to the portico level, the iron 
handrail adds its decorative note to one of Washing¬ 
ton’s early and distinctive dwellings. 

On Pennsylvania Avenue, directly across from the 
Department of State, and just around the corner and 
west of Lafayette Square, the Blair House has figured 
long and intimately in the official life of the Nation’s 
Capital. Through its doorway have passed such great 

[ 9 ] 




Washington Doorways 

Americans as Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, 
Martin Van Buren, Jefferson Davis, Henry Clay and 
George Bancroft. In this mansion Colonel Robert E. 
Lee was offered command of the Union Army at the 
outbreak of the Civil War. 

Built between 1824 and 1827 by Dr. Joseph Lovell, 
this historic house has been in the possession of the 
Blair family since its purchase by Francis Preston Blair 
in 1836. Soon after purchasing the property, Francis 
Blair, friend of President Jackson and editor of the 
Washington Globe, enlarged the then two-story brick 
structure. At that time, too, a high board fence con¬ 
cealed from street view the hawthorne and crab apple 
hedge which bounded the grounds. 

Upon retiring to his estate in Silver Springs, Mary¬ 
land, the title of the property passed from Francis 
Blair to his son Montgomery, Postmaster-General in 
President Lincoln’s cabinet. He, in turn, remodeled 
the house and added another story. From Montgomery 
Blair, ownership passed to Major Gist Blair. 


[ 10 ] 


Tudor Place 



TUDOR PLACE 

1644 THIRTY-FIRST STREET, N. W., GEORGETOWN 












































































































Tudor Place 


North entrance of Tudor Place, Washington landmark, 
visited by Lafayette in 1824. 


S HORTLY after her marriage in 1805, Martha Parke 
Custis, granddaughter of Martha Washington, was 
carried—if old Southern custom was followed—by her 
husband, Thomas Peter, over the threshold of the 
mansion that tops Georgetown Heights. Francis 
Loundes built the two original’ wings of Tudor Place 
about 1794, intending to erect the main house between 
them. The family lived in the east wing during 
the erection of the central portion. From an upper 
window Mrs. Peter is said to have watched the burning 
of the Capitol in 1814. And according to further 
legend, Martha and Thomas Peter’s daughters, Bri¬ 
tannia and America, signaled their cousins at Arlington 
Mansion with bright colored petticoats hung from a 
window—to the chagrin of their dignified parents. 

Occupying an entire city block, Tudor Place stands 
in clear view of the street. Box trees, old elms and 
maples add to its stateliness. Widely spreading vines 
on the facade contribute additional notes of mellowness. 

Without doubt one of the finest early Federal houses 
in Washington, Tudor House was designed by Dr. 
William Thornton, who, in 1792, had won the com¬ 
petition for the design of the Capitol. Individual in 
charm and beauty, its most prominent feature is the 
“temple” porch of the south entrance—a circular porti¬ 
co two stories high, with domical ceiling. Extending 
in a graceful semi-circular colonade, half of this “tem- 

[ 13 ] 






Washington Doorways 

pie” is in front of the building. The other half, form¬ 
ing a niche with triple French window, is recessed into 
the wide main hall. 

Tudor Place has remained in the Peter family for 
more than a century and a quarter. Britannia, who 
inherited the place, married Commodore Beverly Ken- 
non, killed in the Princeton’s explosion. She died in 
1911, at the age of 96. Martha Custis Kennon, her 
daughter, married a distant cousin, Dr. Armistead 
Peter, bringing the family name back to the old home. 

Priceless notable family relics are to be found at 
Tudor House—Martha Washington’s seed-pearl wed¬ 
ding dress and jewelry, a set of china made for Presi¬ 
dent Washington by the French government, a bowl 
presented him by the Order of the Cincinnati, his camp 
trunk used during the Revolution and many paintings, 
miniatures and letters. 

The exterior of the house as a whole is characterized 
by Thornton’s skillful handling of form and detail 
shown in the flat treatment of the cornice, profile of 
finely turned members of the roof balustrade and the 
scale of the large windows, with narrow trim and wide 
panes of glass. 

Overlooking the circular carriage drive and garden 
set with boxwoods, the north front—and main entrance 
of the building—is more severe than the south front. 
The entrance door here is the most conspicuous feature, 
surmounted with a delicate fan-light, untrimmed arch, 
and quaint wrought-iron lamp. 

Opening into a central hallway and a transverse hall 
across the north side, the north entrance forms a T, 
with spacious living rooms having doors of curly 
maple. Delicate plaster friezes, marble mantlepieces, 

[ 14 ] 


Washington Doorways 


and the wide plank flooring of these rooms remain 
unchanged. 

Following English precedent, Tudor Place is one of 
Washington’s landmarks remaining from the Georgian 
period. The north entrance is seldom noticed by the 
average person, the more prominent south front being 
assumed to be the main entrance. While designed on 
a scale less grand, the north entrance is no less inter¬ 
esting in its design and detail. 

The north entrance is simple in the extreme. The 
door is deeply recessed between paneled jambs. A 
thin transom bar above the door extends across the 
jambs and on the face of the wall to form impost mold¬ 
ings at the spring of the arch. The lantern hung in 
the arch was a welcome beacon on winter nights. 

The door is reached over a simple stone platform 
raised two or three steps above the ground. Iron foot 
scrapers with decorative scroll ends were placed con¬ 
veniently at the first step. Curious circular iron stands 
were set on either side of the platform. Psuedo rustic 
cast-iron benches of the Victorian era on the platform 
and at either side of the door are resting spots placed 
there by a thoughtful owner. 


t 15 ] 



Henry Adams House 



.•*':'** 


HENRY ADAMS HOUSE, 261 8 THIRTY-FIRST STREET, N.W. 
ORIGINAL LOCATION, H STREET, N.W., NEAR SIXTEENTH 



















Henry Adams House 


Diplomats, social leaders and patrons of the arts at¬ 
tending the famous Adams 1 breakfasts in the 80s passed 
through this doorway 


I N 1927 the Henry Adams House, then standing on 
H Street N. W., near Sixteenth Street, facing 
Lafayette Square, was demolished to make way for the 
Hay-Adams Hotel. Its doorway, designed by H. H. 
Richardson, was preserved for posterity through its 
purchase and installation in a house at 2618 Thirty- 
first Street N. W. 

The Adams House doorway shows the extent to 
which the Romanesque architecture of France had 
fascinated Richardson. Built of warm, gray limestone, 
its detail ranges from bold piers and smaller engaged 
columnettes with crisply carved caps, to more delicate 
and refined mouldings and ornament. Here one sees 
the study, care and handiwork of a master architect— 
the handling of architectural detail in a manner rarely 
if ever attained by Richardson’s contemporaries. 

As originally built in the Adams House, the larger 
of the two arches was the frame for a large bank of 
windows. In its new location the windows were omitted 
and the wide opening became a garage entrance. Since 
construction of the house on Thirty-first Street the 
garage has been converted into a library and the garage 
doors made a part of the library wall. The smaller 
opening has been somewhat modified by reducing the 
width from that of the original Adams House doorway 
and the voussoirs of the semi-circular arch reground to 
fit the new size. 


[ 19 ] 




Washington Doorways 


The lion between the arches, detailed in true Roman¬ 
esque fashion, originally supported a peacock, symbol 
of immortality, richly carved in stone. The peacock 
found a resting place as an architectural feature in the 
garden of the home of Horace Peaslee, architect, on 
Nineteenth Street N. W. A long wrought-iron balcony 
railing which originally graced the bank of windows of 
the larger arched opening of the Adams House was 
divided and used on two second-story windows of the 
house on Thirty^rst Street. 

The home of Henry Adams was built in 1885 and 
immediately became a center of political and cultural 
life in Washington—the Adams’ breakfasts being a 
local institution in the late 80s. 

Henry Adams was a grandchild of John Quincy 
Adams. His father was elected to Congress in i860 
and, in 1861, was appointed Minister to England. 
Henry Adams, serving as his father’s secretary, saw 
political life intimately, traveled extensively abroad 
and, for some years, was a newspaper correspondent. 
Many years of his life, however, were spent in Wash¬ 
ington until his death in 1918. 

A prolific writer, Henry Adams occasionally assumed 
the pen name of “Francis Snow Compton.” He was 
a versatile writer, his works ranging through history, 
archaeology, biography, novels, and that classic in Ameri¬ 
can literature, “The Education of Henry Adams.” 
His pen was not without wit, satire and irony, as 
indicated by his reference to the design of the Depart¬ 
ment of State Building as “Mr. Mullet’s architectural 
infant asylum.” 


[ 20 ] 


1234- Nineteenth Street , N. IV. 



1234 nineteenth street, n. w. 
































































1234 Nineteenth Street, N. W. 


Materials from Dinan, Brittany; Tokio, Japan; and 
America have contributed to this modest, but interest¬ 
ing doorway at 1234 Nineteenth Street, N. JV. 


F or a convincing demonstration of how a combination 
of architectural skill and imagination can combine 
details of different architectural periods and from wide¬ 
ly separated parts of the world, into a harmonious 
whole, there is no more interesting example than the 
doorway of the house at 1234 Nineteenth Street, N. W. 
In it is to be seen fragments from Japan, old Brittany 
and several eras of building in America. 

A Japanese scenic design cut out of sandalwood 
serves as a grille over the glazed transom light above 
the door. This grille is a portion of a partition screen 
—one of several—brought from Japan. From its de¬ 
sign one may assume that it dates from a period in 
Japanese art of about 75 or 100 years ago. 

A Breton chest front of oak, two inches in thickness, 
has been converted into an entrance door. It was ori¬ 
ginally part of a horizontal chest, about three feet high 
and five feet long. The front was made of five carved 
decorative panels. Only after diligent search was the 
owner of the house able to find at Dinan, Brittany, a 
chest designed of panels that could be used either 
horizontally or vertically. 

The five carved panels are of three patterns: two 
being of chevron design, two based upon a graceful 
figure 8 and one of scrolls forming a diamond shape. 
The delicate but vigorous carving, the fitting and 
wooden peg construction, proclaim this portion of the 

[ 23 ] 




Washington Doorways 

present door to be the work of a craftsman expert 
in his art. The stiles and rails are wide, the construc¬ 
tion strong, built to endure for generations. To ven¬ 
ture a guess as to when the original chest was made 
would be purely a matter of speculation; a rash and 
meaningless guess at best. All that one can say is that 
it must be old—very old. 

As a chest front it was too short for a man-size 
door, but the owner—an architect—had it skillfully ex¬ 
tended in height with a top panel of glass. This panel 
he covered with a decorative and beautifully wrought 
iron grille designed by that famous Boston architect, 
H. H. Richardson, in 1885, and salvaged from the 
home of John Hay, one-time Secretary of State. 

Below the glazed and iron grille-covered panel of 
the door there hangs a graceful dull brass door knock¬ 
er, fashioned as a conventionalized ornamental dolphin. 
Opposite the middle wooden panel is a hand-wrought 
lever latch handle of iron and the original lock plate 
of the chest, the width of the door stile and the same 
height as the panel. The door sets in a heavy wooden 
frame between brick masonry jambs. To the left of 
the door there hangs, at convenient height, an iron bell 
pull of rare and unusual design. An entrance porch, 
salvaged from an old house, consisting of square posts, 
pilasters and cornice of American Colonial detail shel¬ 
ters the doorway. 

The house stands virtually on a hillside, well back 
from the street, tucked away between modern struc¬ 
tures. At the time its owner, Horace Peaslee, archi¬ 
tect, acquired the property, it was just two little old 
brick houses. Before the Civil War they were con¬ 
spicuous as being a “pair of houses standing on a high 
bank north of L Street.” Today they are one, rehabili- 

[ 24 ] 


Washington Doorways 


tated, modernized, convenient and livable, conspicuous 
because of a small but charming and delightful front 
yard garden, well planted with flowers and shrubs of 
great variety and accented effectively with architectural 
fragments. A flight of seventeen brick steps afford 
easy ascent from street to doorway. 


[ 25 ] 




-, - -W . . i,. __^ _ _ 



The JHhite House 






THE WHITE HOUSE, I 600 PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE, N. W. 















































The White House 


Through this doorway have passed for more than 125 
years Presidents of the United States, their families 
and friends, and citizens of the rank and file 


T HE White House must impress all who see it by its 
quiet, simple and stately dignity. The design of 
the north facade, facing Pennsylvania Avenue, consists 
of a central feature comprising a classic pediment 
supported by Ionic columns, extending through two 
stories, and symmetrical wings on either side. The 
impressive and dominating central motif forms a frame 
for a more ornate center of interest—the principal 
doorway. From Lafayette Square the eyes of an ob¬ 
server thus logically travel from the restful, horizontal 
mass of the President’s House to the colonnaded porte 
cochere and, finally, to the doorway itself. 

The doorway dates from about 1815, though the 
building of the White House began nearly 25 years 
before. Its design—like that of the entire exterior of 
the house—is typical of contemporary English dwell¬ 
ings of its day and sounds the one highly decorative 
architectural note of the facade. As in other Renais¬ 
sance structures, there is seen a revival of classic detail 
embellished with leaf, floral and animal forms and 
ornamental rosettes. 

The classic entablature, supported by wall-engaged 
columns with capitals of Corinthian inspiration, is 
broken by large, projecting console brackets which 
support the more prominent arch of the doorway and 
become an important feature either side of the archi¬ 
trave surrounding the door opening. The entablature, 

[ 29 ] 




Washington Doorways 


classic in form and proportions, is well molded and 
simply decorated with modillions and closely spaced 
dentils. Within the arch above the entablature a sim¬ 
ple, effective fan-light is divided by wooden members. 

Natural forms ornamenting the arch surfaces and 
console brackets are modeled full and in high relief. 
Supplementing the decorative doorway, similarly orna¬ 
mented festoons or swags, also full modeled and ap¬ 
parently fastened to the wall with a large rosette and 
flowing ribbons, are applied to the wall above. This 
festoon is the sole decoration of the plain wall areas 
of the entire fagade. 

Impressive because of its stately, generous scale, as 
well as ornate treatment, the doorway is a fitting prin¬ 
ciple entrance to the official home of the President and 
his family. Its designer, James Hoban, possibly had 
in mind that the public would ordinarily view it from a 
distance and proportioned the modeled ornament ac¬ 
cordingly. Being on the north side, and further shaded 
by the massive portico, the ornamental and architec¬ 
tural forms, of necessity, had to be boldly conceived 
and the ornament boldly modeled to be significant in 
the absence of bright, direct sunlight. 

From an architectural standpoint the problem was 
further complicated by the execution of the entire de¬ 
sign in a single color. The use of colors or an exposure 
to direct sunlight would have created an entirely dif¬ 
ferent effect from that which is now so satisfactory and 
so generally admired. 

Actually of gray sandstone, quarried in nearby Vir¬ 
ginia, the White House was evidently painted white 
at an early date for the term, “White House” was in 
popular—though not official—use before 1812. Cost 
and the difficulties of transportation of the times has 

[ 30 ] 


Washington Doorways 

been offered as an explanation of the use of sandstone 
instead of marble. 

In planning “The city intended for permanent seat 
of the Government of the United States,” in 1790, 
Major L’Enfant included a large area designated as 
the “President’s house.” In 1792 James Hoban, archi¬ 
tect, won the $500 prize offered by the Commissioners 
of the District for the design of the President’s man¬ 
sion, and while the cornerstone was laid that same 
year, it was not until eight years later that the house, 
even then said to be “scarcely habitable,” was occupied 
by John and Abigail Adams. They spent a trying four 
years there, getting along without “bells in the house” 
and hanging the family wash in the famous east room. 

Jefferson found the house in but slightly better con¬ 
dition and set about making various improvements, 
adding terraces to the grounds and building wings used 
as “offices, meat-house, wine cellar, coal and wood 
sheds and privies.” 

In 1814 the house was burned and little remained 
but the stone work of the outer walls, much of which 
had to be taken down and rebuilt. James Hoban again 
was called upon and assigned the task of reconstruction 
in 1815. In 1824 he built the semi-circular portico on 
the south, or garden front, and in 1829 added the 
colonnaded portico on the north front. 

The story of the White House successively records 
nearly 150 years of progress. During that time water 
for household use has been pumped by hand from 
wells near the house, piped from a distant spring, and, 
finally, obtained from the city’s water supply system. 
The interior has witnessed the passing of candles, oil 
and gas for illumination. In due time bathrooms were 

[ 3i ] 


Washington Doorways 

added. About 18 81 a single telephone was installed, 
and, twenty years later, a telephone switchboard. 

Theodore Roosevelt, in 1902, gave the executive 
mansion the official title of White House. During his 
administration Congress appropriated some $500,000 
for the alteration, repair and additions to the house 
and executive offices. 


[ 32 ] 


Folger Shakespeare L,ibrary 



¥ 




FOLGER SHAKESPEARE LIBRARY 
201 E. CAPITAL STREET, S. E. 






















































































Folger Shakespeare Library 


The doorzvay of the Folger Library, in its dignity, 
simplicity and masterly handling of rich materials, 
reflects 20th Century trends in architecture. It gives 
access to the most comprehensive Shakespearean col¬ 
lection in the world 


A n Amherst College undergraduate with a good deal 
^ of vision plus the makings of a millionaire Stand¬ 
ard Oil executive, heard Ralph Waldo Emerson lecture 
in 1879 on the high-sounding phrase, “Superlative of 
Mental Temperance.” What Henry Clay Folger lis¬ 
tened to was a eulogy of the life and work of 
Shakespeare. But it inspired the purchase of an inex¬ 
pensive 13-volume edition of his plays and poems— 
and a life time devoted to the acquisition of Shakes¬ 
pearean material. 

Relentless search resulted in the largest and finest 
Shakespearean collection in existence. It comprises 
some 85,000 volumes of books and manuscripts— 
together with objects of art relating to the dramatist. 
In addition, its scope includes the entire literature of 
the Elizabethan Age. As a fitting respository, and to 
make these documents available to students and others, 
the Folger Shakespeare Library was built between 
the years 1929 and 1932, at a cost of more than 
two millions of dollars. 

Identical main entrances, approached by a flight of 
marble steps, are at both ends of the north facade. 
The steps rise between blocks of marble carved with 
figures of Pegasus, symbol of poetry. For emphasis in 
the composition, the doorways are recessed in the wall, 

[ 35 ] 




Washington Doorways 

with the reveals softened and refined by a series of 
plain flat surfaces. The decorative quality of the door¬ 
ways depends upon metal grilles of geometric design. 
The carved masks above the grilles are symbolic of 
comedy and tragedy. 

Designed by Paul Philippe Cret, architect, the Folger 
Library is regarded as one of Washington’s most 
beautiful semi^public buildings. Classic in character, it 
is devoid of classic forms so evident in other formal 
and monumental buildings of the National Capital. 
An architectural gem in its own right, it harmonizes 
with the traditional classic architecture all about it. At 
the same time, it preserves unto itself a distinctive 
quality—a quality that is imposing, dignified, quiet and 
refreshing to view. 

In this outstanding structure are seen at work the 
hand and mind of a master designer using simple 
masses effectively, decoration with admirable restraint, 
and combinations of rich materials with understanding 
regard to their inherent structural and decorative possi¬ 
bilities. In it an orderly composition has been achieved 
in simple terms, frankly, and without straining for effect. 

Between the two doorways of the north facade there 
is a rhythmic composition of high grilled windows 
separated by fluted piers. Decoration of the facade 
depends primarily upon sculptural panels beneath these 
windows so located that they are easily seen by all who 
pass. These panels, the work of John Gregory, sculp¬ 
tor, appropriately depict scenes from “A Midsummer 
Night’s Dream,” “Romeo and Juliet,” “The Merchant 
of Venice,” “Macbeth,” “Julius Caesar,” “King Lear,” 
“Richard III,” “Hamlet,” and “Henry IV.” The 
facade is crowned by a simple attic, ornamented with 
Shakespearean quotations. 

[ 36 ] 


Washington Doorways 

On the west fagade the windows overlook a small 
garden, fountains and a figure of Puck, modeled by 
Brenda Putnam. The walls of the east wing are broken 
only by an exit door, which opens on a terraced plat¬ 
form. This door is of aluminum, ornamented with 
floral bands in low relief. 

The Elizabethan interior is a distinct contrast to the 
simple, straightforward classic character of the exterior. 
This decided difference between exterior and interior, 
ordinarily contrary to what is considered desirable to 
maintain unity of design, is not inappropriate since it 
serves to emphasize the historic character of this Eliza¬ 
bethan interior and the literary treasures it shelters. 

Entirely in the style of 17th century England, the 
interior of the vaulted entrance halls on either side of 
the exhibition gallery are finished in rough plaster with 
flagstone floors and rich decorations in wood and stone. 

The exhibition gallery is a great paneled hall of rare 
dignity and scale. A reading room, entered from the 
exhibition gallery, is also designed in the manner of a 
traditional English great hall. Through the east lobby, 
entrance is gained to an Elizabethan theater. 

Assembled from a number of small lots and tracts, 
fourteen years were spent in acquiring the land for the 
library. Two weeks after the cornerstone was laid, in 
1930, Mr. Folger died. He bequeathed the library, 
with an endowment for its maintenance and growth, in 
trust, to the trustees of Amherst College, who adminis¬ 
ter it as an institution for advancing the study and 
appreciation of Shakespeare and his works. 


[ 37 ] 
















nT 





John R. McLean House 


IflfMi 



JOHN R. MCLEAN HOUSE, 1500 I STREET, N. W, 
DEMOLISHED IN 1939 






















































































John R. McLean House 


Doorway of the McLean mansion, for many years a 
center of social activity in the Capital 


W HEN the late John R. McLean asked John Russell 
Pope to design him a house, he specified that it 
was to be “for entertaining—nothing else.” So it is 
not surprising that Mr. Pope took as his inspiration 
the lavish but dignified Italian palaces and designed a 
structure typically Florentine. Rich in detail, its door¬ 
way was one of the finest examples of the Italian 
Renaissance to be found in this country. The wrought 
iron brackets and lamps were a copy of those used at 
the doorway of the Ricardi Palace in Florence. 

Washingtonians are familiar with stories of the 
ornate interior of the McLean mansion—of its bro¬ 
cade-covered walls, elaborate chandeliers, fireplaces, 
intricately carved and painted ceilings, mahogany stair¬ 
case, tremendous pipe organ and theater. Familiar are 
the stories of its heyday of social activities when invita¬ 
tions to the house were so coveted that, failing to 
receive one, disappointed social aspirants took short 
trips out of the city rather than face the kind of music 
that wasn’t being played at 1500 I Street. 

All sorts of mystery grew up about the place. Tun¬ 
nels from its cellars were said to lead to the Executive 
dwelling, but these were never found. A secret stair¬ 
case winding beneath one of the fireplaces is the only 
“mystery” ever to be actually discovered. 

In 1939 the McLean doorway, along with the rest 
of the house was demolished to make way for an office 
building, more imposing because of its size. And to 

[ 4i ] 




Washington Doorways 

the blows of the experienced wrecker it quickly passed 
on into Washington history. 

Typically Florentine in architectural character, the 
entrance to the McLean house was impressive because 
of the heavy stone voussoirs of its arch and the use of 
wrought iron. The iron grille work which filled the 
opening was of Italian Renaissance tradition, interest¬ 
ing in pattern, excellent in scale, proportion and work¬ 
manship, an effective barrier to the uninvited. In har¬ 
mony with the wrought-iron grille, rich, graceful 
wroughtniron lamps made in a masterly manner were 
used on either side of the entrance. 

In the spirit of its Italian precedent, a strong, bat¬ 
tered and heavily molded high base formed a fitting 
support for the massive brick walls above. Roman 
shaped brick—much longer and narrower in proportion 
than usual brick proportions—were used for the facing 
of the outside walls and were laid in mortar, forming 
unusually thick mortar joints. The shape and color of 
the brick combined with the color and thickness of the 
joints gave a distinctive and pleasing texture and pat¬ 
tern to the large wall areas. Rich materials combined 
with artistic skill served to produce a house whose 
architecture reflected the desire of its owner to have a 
place “for entertaining.” 


[ 42 ] 


The Lindens 



THE LINDENS, 24OI KALORAMA ROAD, N. W, 































































The Lindens 


Built in 1754 by Robert (King) Hooper of Marble¬ 
head, the Lindens was torn down and moved from its 
setting in Danvers, Mass., to Washington 


T he Lindens has an unusual history and its doorway, 
which is the center of interest of a prominent 
central architectural feature, has been described by at 
least one authority as “a unique treatment.” The cen¬ 
tral feature consists of two engaged Corinthian columns 
which extend through two stories, support a steep- 
pitched pediment, and frame the doorway, a second- 
story hall window and an attic window. 

Columns of the central feature are of wood painted 
white in contrast to the warm gray painted back¬ 
ground of the wooden boarding of the walls. The 
cornice and entablature above the columns are finely 
molded and decorated with well-detailed modillions 
which produce a rhythmic play of light and shadow. 

As in many other Georgian Colonial houses, the 
outside wall covering is of boards grooved to simulate 
stonework, the illusion being further produced by a 
texture secured by the use of sand. The character of 
stonework is consistently followed by grooving the 
boards adjacent to the doorway and above the heads 
of the doorway and windows in the manner of stone 
quoins and the voussoirs of flat-arch lintels. Like the 
columns, the quoins and arches are emphasized by the 
use of white paint in contrast with the gray background. 

The doorway is reached by a flight of three stone 
steps with foot scrapers on either side of the door and 
the door, deeply recessed in the wall, is delicately 

[ 45 ] 




Washington Doorways 


molded and paneled. Top panels of the door are semi¬ 
circular and glazed. A large brass knocker forms a 
decorative feature and there is a reminder of Revolu¬ 
tionary War days in the way of a bullet hole through 
the lock rail. 

The house is of the gambrel roof type and includes 
a decorative roof balustrade. Four richly molded 
dormers provide light for the attic and are decorative 
features of the unusual facade. The design of the 
Lindens is dignified and a notable example of a fine 
New England dwelling. 

Originally built as a country place by Robert— 
better known as “King”—Hooper of Marblehead, 
Mass., the house originally stood in Danvers, Mass., 
in a garden setting with a linden-planted approach. 
During 1774, just previous to the Revolution, this 
stately mansion was occupied by General Thomas Gage, 
last provincial Governor of Massachusetts. Subse¬ 
quently, it became known as the Lindens. In 1936 it 
was purchased, taken down in sections, removed from 
its former site and re-erected in Washington, at 2401 
Kalorama Road. 


[ 46 ] 


John Hay House 



JOHN HAY HOUSE, 3014 WOODLAND DRIVE, N. W. 
















John Hay House 


Forerunner of much 20th Century architecture, this 
doorway of a house built in 1885 became the entrance 
to another house erected in IQ27 


I T is unlikely that Henry H. Richardson, famous 
Boston architect of the early 80s, ever designed a 
simpler and more pleasing doorway for a house than 
that to be seen at 3014 Woodland Drive. This door¬ 
way was originally that of the John Hay House which 
stood at the corner of Sixteenth and H Streets, N. W., 
across from old St. John’s Church. When the Hay 
House was demolished in 1927, the doorway was pur¬ 
chased for the house in which it has now found a home. 

Warm gray limestone, hammer-dressed to a relative¬ 
ly smooth surface, was used for the stone work. In its 
plain surfaces, deep reveals and restrained ornament, 
is seen a forerunner of so-called “modern” architec¬ 
ture of the Twentieth Century, and Richardson at his 
best. The pier caps are decorated with crisp intertwin¬ 
ing conventionalized, acute-pointed acanthus leaves of 
French-Romanesque inspiration. A vigorous label 
mold terminating in bulbous bosses forms a strong, 
pleasing cap for the doorway motif. 

In the wide central opening, between the piers, is a 
heavy oak frame and door with ornamental strap 
hinges of iron. At either side are well-proportioned 
windows forming generous side lights. The low, 
carved stone pedestals, set on either side of the door 
on the entrance platform, were part of the original 
doorway in the John Hay house. 

[ 49 ] 




Washington Doorways 


The name of John Hay recalls hectic days in Wash¬ 
ington during the Civil War and the political and cul¬ 
tural life of the post-war period in the 70s and 80s. 
John Hay was one of President Lincoln’s secretaries. 
Following the War Between the States, Hay served in 
various diplomatic posts and was a journalist of marked 
ability. In 1878 he became Assistant Secretary of 
State. During the following ten years he collaborated 
with John G. Nicolay in writing Abraham Lincoln: A 
History. At the time of his death in 1905, he was 
Secretary of State. 

During his lifetime Hay achieved deserved recog¬ 
nition with his Pike County Ballads, Castilian Days and 
The Bread Winners. He was a close friend of Henry 
Cabot Lodge, Senator from Massachusetts; Augustus 
Saint-Gaudens, sculptor, and the painter, John La 
Farge. Henry Adams was probably his most intimate 
friend and, in 1885, both Hay and Adams commission¬ 
ed Richardson to design their houses, which they built 
side by side. 


[ So ] 


Decatur House 



DECATUR HOUSE, LAFAYETTE SQUARE, N. W. 




















































































Decatur House 


Doorway of the Decatur House in Lafayette Square, 
one of JVashington 1 s historic homes which still resists 
modern encroachment 


C ommodore Stephen Decatur, returning from a 
brilliant and profitable campaign in the Mediter¬ 
ranean against the corsairs of Algiers, Tunis and 
Tripoli, wanted to enjoy life while he and his wife 
were still young. A series of brilliant successes had 
followed his entering the Navy at nineteen years of 
age. Setting fire to the United States frigate Philadel¬ 
phia after she had been taken by pirates and escaping 
under heavy fire—his first exploit—brought a captain’s 
commission and the sword of honor from Congress. 

On an open common “called Lafayette Square” a 
private residence, designed hy Benjamin H. Latrobe, 
was built in 1819. It was here that Commodore and 
Mrs. Decatur planned to entertain their many friends. 

Scarcely a year passed when a duel with a fellow 
officer, Commodore Barron, resulted in Stephen Deca¬ 
tur’s death. Mrs. Decatur then retired to Kalorama 
and the house was later occupied by several noted men 
of their day. About 1844 John Gadsby leased the 
property, turning the garden at the rear into a slave 
market—protected from sight by an 8-foot brick wall 
on the south and an ell adjoining the house on the H 
Street side. This ell, a long one-story brick building 
with windows barred with iron, was used as a corral 
for Negro slaves. 

General Edward Fitzgerald Beale came into posses¬ 
sion of the house after the Civil War. It was inherited 

[ 53 ] 




Washington Doorways 


by his son, Truxtun Beale, formerly Minister to Persia 
and Greece. Until his death, in 1936, Truxtun Beale 
lived in the Decatur House, keeping its character and 
tradition intact. 

Of somber reddish brown brick, the austere face of 
the house is relieved by tall windows, with long lintels 
of stone, slender mullions and delicate iron balconies 
at the second story. The structure is practically square, 
conveying dignity and solidity. 

Contrasting with the severity of its exterior, the 
interior reproduces subtle proportions, carved moldings 
and other characteristics of the Adam style. Huge 
rooms, separated by graceful archways, are lighted by 
crystal chandeliers suspended from high, frescoed ceil¬ 
ings. A circular stairway leads to the second-floor 
salon. In the library—extending through two large 
rooms, with windows front and back—old and rare 
books line the walls. There is an abundance of fine 
wood carving here, as well as in the dining room. The 
house is lighted throughout by chandeliers and wall 
scones, the lamp and candle never having been dis¬ 
placed by electricity. 

Aside from the Executive Mansion, Decatur House, 
the first dwelling to be built on Lafayette Square, like 
so many of the best preserved early Washington houses 
belongs to the late Georgian period. Built later than 
Octagon House and the house which now is the home 
of the Arts Club on I Street, it is more robust, severe 
and less refined and delicate in its detail than either 
of these. 

Iron work, characteristic of the period, was used at 
windows and entrance steps in a simple, yet extremely 
graceful design. The wrought-iron railing at the en¬ 
trance, with its foot scrapers—much needed at the time 

[ 54 ] 


Washington Doorways 


—and its lanterns to light the way, was as utilitarian 
as decorative. 

The doorway seems to be of later date, for it lacks 
the refinement and characteristics of Colonial or Geor¬ 
gian architecture. It is severe, somewhat heavy, large 
in scale and a little out of keeping in its contrast with 
the mellow surrounding brickwork. The doors, too, 
seem of much later date than the structure of the house, 
being quite rococo in their heavy ornamental moldings 
that are a reminder more of the Mid-Victorian era of 
American architecture which followed some years later. 
However, in spite of changing ownerships and, possi¬ 
bly, minor alterations to the structure, it has always 
been known as the Stephen Decatur House. 


[ 55 ] 









British Embassy 







HI 


lilll 






mm 


wwmwwm 


BRITISH EMBASSY, 3 100 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, N.W. 















































































































































British Embassy 


Seldom seen by the public, this door of the British 
Embassy is simple, dignified and imposing 


S heltered by a great portico composed of tall Ionic 
columns of stone supporting a classic pediment, the 
main entrance of Great Britain’s finest Embassy faces 
toward the White House two miles away. The door¬ 
way, in keeping with English tradition, while simple 
and dignified, is imposing because of its scale and 
chaste character. 

Plain wooden doors with small glass panes fill the 
masonry opening, which is surrounded by a molded and 
broken architrave. Console brackets, simple in detail, 
and of slight projection, support a molded cornice. 
Below the cornice and above the architrave a panel 
contains the royal cipher—a crown and monogram 
G. V. R.—a reminder that the Embassy was built 
during the reign of George V. 

The doorway motif is continued on up into the 
second story, forming a panel for a second-story win¬ 
dow. This panel, projecting slightly from the main 
wall, is decorated with floral and leaf forms modeled 
in high relief; the carving, crisp and fresh; the detail 
more modern in spirit than traditional. Above the 
second story window a cherub’s head forms a keystone. 
The entire doorway and its background are executed in 
Indiana limestone. The design of the doorway, ex¬ 
tremely simple yet rich and domestic in character, de¬ 
pends for effect upon subtle differences in the stone 
surfaces, simple flat moldings, and restraint in deco¬ 
rative carving. 


[ 59 ] 




Washington Doorways 


A flight of stone steps leads from the great portico 
to terrace walks of black slate and the rolling green 
lawn flanked by beautiful rose gardens. In “typically 
British” manner, the main entrance is secluded from 
the street by the U-shaped chancery, or business office 
—a two-story, fifty-room building—and a forecourt. 
Behind the chancery is the four-story Embassy, contain¬ 
ing reception rooms, living quarters of the Ambassador 
and his family, and guest rooms. An archway between 
supports the Ambassador’s study, which connects the 
two buildings at the second floor level. The Embassy 
grounds on Massachusetts Avenue, with its gardens, 
swimming pool, tennis courts and garages, covers more 
than four and one-half acres. 

The Embassy was built in 1930 to replace the out¬ 
grown headquarters at Connecticut Avenue and N 
Street. It was completed in 1931 at a cost of about 
$1,000,000. The exterior of red brick, white stone 
trimming, with green shutters at the windows, is a 
typical 18th Century English manor house. The slate 
roofs are high and steep; the numerous chimneys of 
brick, tall and straight. 

Sir Edwin Lutyens, London, architect of the Em¬ 
bassy, enjoys an enviable reputation in America and 
abroad. He is the designer of many of England’s 
finest modern estates and public buildings. His govern¬ 
ment buildings in India and the War Memorial in 
Whitehall, near Westminster, London, are especially 
well known. In 1925 the American Institute of Archi¬ 
tects, with impressive ceremonies, awarded him its 
coveted gold medal for outstanding achievement in 
architecture and the science of building. 


[ 60 ] 





» 




Highlands 



HIGHLANDS, 3825 WISCONSIN AVENUE, N. W. 
























































































Highlands 


Illuminated until recent years only by candlelight, 
Highlands was once the country estate of the Treas¬ 
ury’s first register, Joseph J.Nourse 


B oth Thomas Jefferson and General Lafayette pass¬ 
ed through the portal to this charming old house 
at 3825 Wisconsin Avenue. In fact Thomas Jefferson 
had the sweet shrubs on either side of the doorway 
brought from Monticello as a gift to Mme. Nourse. 
And the old stable where Jefferson and Lafayette 
rested their horses when visiting the Nourse family is 
still standing in the rear of the house. 

A ship’s lantern of interesting design hangs above 
the simple and modest, but also austere entrance, with 
its paneled door, semi-circular fanlight and narrow side¬ 
lights. Another lantern indicates a step between the 
red brick walk leading to the house and the driveway. 

Four columns support a brifck portico (not shown in 
the sketch), which lends distinction to this two-story, 
vine-covered manor house of amber or soft, warm, 
yellow-hued stone. It was built in 1815 by the Nourse 
family, who, previously living at Mount St. Albans, 
wanted a home farther “in the country.” A portion of 
the estate—where the National Cathedral now stands 
—was presented to the church. 

Various members of the Nourse family lived in the 
house until just prior to the World War. Later it was 
purchased from the descendants of the original owners 
by Admiral and Mrs. Cary T. Grayson. 


[ 63 ] 

\ 















District of Columbia Court House 



DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA COURT HOUSE 
D AND 4TH STREETS, N. W. 















































































District of Columbia Court House 


Lottery in 1815, plans at $300 in 1820, poor construc¬ 
tion, difficulties of building a city hall, and ultimately 
faithful reproduction of the original design, in 1920, 
add colorfid history to the Court House of the District 
of Columbia 


T he design of the main doorway of the Court House 
of the District of Columbia dates from the flower¬ 
ing of the Greek Revival period of architecture in 
America—1820—though the actual date of the build¬ 
ing as now seen, is one hundred years later. And, 
thereby hangs a tale, for the Court House is perhaps 
unparalleled in conception, building and rebuilding. 

Classic simplicity marks even so important an 
entrance as that to the District courts. The wide 
masonry opening with its segmental arch frames a 
broad but simply treated Greek cornice forming a wide 
transom bar with simple fan-light above and an equally 
simple doorway below. Plain pilasters, Greek in 
character, form mullions separating the doors and the 
glass side-lights. 

The doorway sets back some twenty-five feet or more 
from the face of the limestone columns of the generous 
and imposing classic portico forming the important 
central feature of the south front of the building. Be¬ 
tween the sidewalk and the street curb stands a statue 
of Lincoln—the work of Lot Flannery, sculptor— 
“erected by the Citizens of the District of Columbia, 
April 15, 18 68.” 

The Court House had its origin as the District’s City 

[ 67 ] 




Washington Doorways 

Hall—the first it could call its own. Unfortunate cir¬ 
cumstances seem to have followed its inception in 1814 
until its reconstruction in 1920. 

For many years after the establishing of Washington 
as the seat of the Federal Government, no suitable 
building was available for the conduct of its adminis¬ 
trative affairs. In the fall of 1814 the corporation 
decided that a City Hall was both desirable and neces¬ 
sary and, in February 1815, approved an act to raise 
$40,000 by lottery. A grand capital prize of $50,000, 
twelve prizes of $1,000, eight prizes of $100, and 
“besides a numerous quantity of smaller prizes,” were 
offered. This scheme for financing the City Hall—and 
along with it two school-houses and a penitentiary— 
came to naught due to the refusal of the States to 
permit the sale of lottery tickets—and because of the 
default of the lottery manager. 

About four years later, George Hadfield, an archi¬ 
tect who came to America from England in 1795 to 
serve as construction superintendent and assistant to 
William Thornton in the design and building of the 
Capitol, submitted plans for a City Hall to the Munici¬ 
pal authorities. Upon ascertaining from estimates that 
the structure would cost $375,000, the plans were 
abandoned for the time being. 

Two years later, July 14, 1820, the city authorities 
advertised for plans and specifications for a City Hall 
to cost $100,000. The designer submitting the best 
plans was to be paid $300 and the second best plans 
were to bring $100. Apparently, George Hadfield had 
revised his plans prepared in 1818, for he was im¬ 
mediately given the winning award and the $300, and 
the cornerstone of the building was laid about one 

[ 68 ] 


Washington Doorways 

month later—August 22, 1820. This was an event of 
high importance to the community and was accom¬ 
panied by the discharging of guns from the Navy Yard 
and from Fort Washington “and excellent music was 
furnished by the Marine Band.” 

Hadfield died in 1826, with the City Hall barely 
two-thirds completed. Thereafter the Mayor and his 
councils went through a titanic struggle in an effort to 
meet payments on the structure, and to secure its com¬ 
pletion, at times advertising for tenants to occupy the 
unfinished rooms. For years the building, intended to 
be finished on the outside in stucco, stood with rough 
unfinished brick walls and temporary wooden steps. 
As the building aged, it was not unusual for a loose 
“stone or brick to fall perilously near someone’s head.” 

During the same period the District courts were 
equally hard pressed for suitable quarters. The courts 
and offices of the Federal Government gradually began 
to acquire space in the City Hall, and by 1873 the 
District officials found themselves without administra¬ 
tive offices. In due course, the one-time City Hall 
became more and more dilapidated and inconvenient, 
its original construction not having been of the best and 
the plan ill adapted to its new purposes. 

Fortunately, Congress came to the rescue in 1916 
with an appropriation for the restoration and recon¬ 
struction of the Court House. More than $800,000 
was spent on the work which has made possible the 
preservation of Hadfield’s original design of one of the 
fine examples of Greek Revival architecture applied to 
a public building to be found in the United States. 


[ 69 ] 


. 







Dumbarton House 



DUMBARTON HOUSE, 2715 Q STREET, N. W. 


















































































































Dumbarton House 


Known successively as Dumbarton and Dunbarton, 
Bellevue, Rittenhouse Place and finally Dumbarton 
again, this historic house has retained its identity for 
more than /50 years 


W ith a dearth of fact regarding its early architec¬ 
tural history, restorations and alterations that 
have taken place, strict adherence to any architectural 
period cannot be claimed for Dumbarton House. 
However, interior and exterior reveal excellent exam¬ 
ples of the Georgian and Federal periods. 

A fine brick mansion trimmed in white, standing on 
a rise of ground well above the sidewalk, its main 
entrance is approached by a long flight of steps cut 
back through the high retaining wall. Accentuated by 
a pillared porch, the doorway has a well-shaped archi¬ 
trave and keystone. Framed by finely molded and em¬ 
bellished mullions and transom bar, the heavy paneled 
door is surmounted by a wooden muntin divided fan¬ 
light and flanked by narrow side-lights. 

The entrance from the street is emphasized by 
sturdy brick piers, refined in detail and capped by stone 
finals in the form of urns of bold design. The gateway 
and flight of entrance steps are lighted by a wrought- 
iron lantern which, with its iron brackets, forms a 
graceful, delicate arch, and a frame for the entrance 
doorway in the background. 

Although not on its original site, Dumbarton House 
is one of the oldest houses in the District. It blocked 
the way from Q Street to Rock Creek—the path from 
Washington proper to Georgetown—for more than a 

[ 73 ] 




Washington Doorways 

century. John Newbold, the owner, had the old house 
moved to its present location, 2715 Q Street, when 
plans were made to open Q Street and span Rock Creek 
Park with a bridge in 1915. 

Ninian Beall, first owner of the site, came to this 
country in the 17th century as an indentured servant. 
Working for and winning his freedom he became one 
of the most colorful figures in the community. Re¬ 
nowned as an Indian fighter, it was probably for this 
service that he was granted a tract of 795 acres on 
Rock Creek in 1703. There has been a good deal of 
speculation as to why he should have called the site the 
“Rock of Dunbarton.” One explanation is that the ele¬ 
vation of land may have suggested to the exiled Scot 
the Rock of Dumbarton, of his native land. Another is 
that he paraphrased the name in commemoration of the 
Battle of Dunbar, in which the Scotch were defeated 
and in which he was believed to have fought. 

Reputed to be Georgetown’s first settler, George 
Beall, son of Ninian, inherited “the planation” in 1717 
and the property remained in the Beall family until 
1796, when it was purchased by Peter Casanave, while 
Mayor of Georgetown. The sale price of approxi¬ 
mately $600 would indicate either that the house w T as 
not elaborate at that time, or that it was sold at a 
sacrifice. Samuel Jackson, whose ownership came sev¬ 
eral years later, after the property had changed hands 
many times, is credited as being the builder of the 
original Dumbarton House. There is evidence that 
extensive remodeling occurred during the time when it 
was owned by Joseph Nourse, first register of the 
Treasury and, later, by Charles Carroll, grandson of a 
signer of the Declaration of Independence. 

[ 74 ] 


Alva Belmont House 




ALVA BELMONT HOUSE, SECOND AND B STREETS, N. E. 






























































































































Alva Belmont House 


Numerous changes have not entirely destroyed the 
Georgian-Colonial character of the doorway to Alva 
Belmont House, national headquarters of the National 
Woman’s Party 


T here have been many remodelings since the Alva 
Belmont House was partially destroyed by British 
troops in 1814. Even the principal entrance on B 
Street has not escaped alteration. Within the masonry 
opening of the doorway, only the door, wood frame 
and paneling give evidence, through characteristic 
moldings, of dating, probably, from 1820. To what 
extent the entire house retains original portions of the 
early structure is a matter of speculation. 

The design of the doorway follows a pattern typical 
of Georgian Colonial in America. The wood frame, 
transom bar, and mullions separating the door from 
the side-lights are all finely molded in the manner of 
their day. The glass of what was once a beautiful 
Georgian fanlight above the door is now of art glass 
quite out of harmony with the architecture of the house. 
Even the double flight of steps with wrought-iron hand¬ 
rails leading to the entrance, which is practically a 
whole story above the street, plainly show the marks of 
remodeling without kind regard for maintenance of 
the architectural character of the fagade. 

It is unfortunate that alterations to the exterior of 
one of the oldest houses in the District have not carried 
out the spirit of the original mansion as well as does 
the interior. Within, the house contains numerous fire¬ 
places with elaborately molded mantels, typical of their 

[ 77 ] 




Washington Doorways 


period. Ceilings are high, many have well-proportioned 
cornices; the rooms stately and dignified, with much 
furniture of a glorious past in American history. Doors 
are high, thick and massive, well paneled, hung on 
silver-plated hinges and fitted with silver knobs. 

The history of the Alva Belmont House has its 
variations. The best account and the one usually ac¬ 
cepted begins with the granting of a parcel of land by 
the British crown to Sir George Calvert, the first Lord 
Baltimore. About 1793 Robert and Henry Sewall— 
or Sewell—acquired a large part of this grant, known 
as Capitol Hill. The widow of Henry Sewall became 
the second wife of the third Lord Baltimore and the 
building of the house has been attributed to him. 
Certain accounts, however, state that Robert Sewall 
purchased the house and site in 1799. Other accounts 
credit the building of the house to Robert Sewell some 
time after that date. 

Historians generally agree that the Sewall family 
left the house prior to the coming of the British, en 
route from Bladensburg, in the summer of 1814. 
American forces under Commodore Barney fortified 
themselves in the Sewall house and from the upper 
stories made an attack on the advancing party of the 
British under the command of General Ross. At least 
two men were killed and several wounded. General 
Ross, incensed by the killing of his horse, ordered the 
house burned. 

The extent to which the house was destroyed by the 
British is problematical. Some claim is made that only 
the B Street facade was seriously damaged. Numerous 
remodelings since 1820, however, effectively conceal 
the evidence. During -the following 100 years the 
house passed through various ownerships, among 

[ 78 ] 


Washington Doorways 

others that of John Strode Barbour, one-time Governor 
of Virginia, Secretary of War and Minister to Great 
Britain. Aaron Burr, lawyer, statesman and one-time 
vice-president, is said to have occupied the house for 
a time. 

Senator Porter H. Dale of Vermont purchased the 
property in 1922. In 1929 it was bought by the Na¬ 
tional Woman’s Party, becoming in 1931 its national 
headquarters and named the Alva Belmont House in 
honor of Mrs. Oliver H. P. Belmont, staunch supporter 
of the feminist movement in the United States. 


[ 79 ] 

























Federal Reserve Building 



FEDERAL RESERVE BUILDING 
CONSTITUTION AVENUE AND 20 TH STREET, N. W, 































































































































Federal Reserve Building 


Broad steps and terraces, formal gardens and fountains 
of black Cooperburg granite provide a fitting setting 
for the entrance of the Federal Reserve Building 


T he entrance doorway of the Federal Reserve Build¬ 
ing on Constitution Avenue is the central feature 
of the monumental portico of the facade. The portico, 
in turn, is the dominating central feature of the single 
composition formed by the National Academy of 
Sciences, the Public Health Service and the Federal 
Reserve buildings. While differing in design and de¬ 
tails the three buildings are harmonious, all being 
classic in character and originating from the same 
Greek root. 

The doorway of white Georgian marble snugly fills 
the lower portion of the space between two white 
marble piers of the portico. The upper portion of the 
space is filled by a window and bold grille of bronze. 
The doorway, in harmony with the entire facade, is 
of excellent proportion and pure in line. A simple 
marble architrave with molded edges supports an 
equally simple pediment and frames the massive bronze 
doors. The doors are made with plain panels formed 
between borders of conventionalized floral decoration. 
On each door is a lion’s head firmly gripping a large 
bronze pull ring. 

The windows on either side of the doorway extend 
through two stories. Protecting the glass windows are 
large bronze grilles of geometric pattern, accented with 
conventionalized floral ornament, enduring in material, 
workmanship and design. Blue-gray polished Swedish 

[ 83 ] 





Washington Doorways 

marble fills the spandrels of the windows behind the 
decorative bronze grilles. 

The four piers of the portico are slightly curved 
from base to cap, having what is known in the architec¬ 
tural world as an entasis, a refinement introduced by 
the Greeks to correct an otherwise unfortunate optical 
illusion. The piers rise from the terrace platform 
without the usual molded base, but terminate below the 
entablature with molded caps. The entablature consists 
of a plain, broad frieze and a typically Greek classic 
cornice. Above the entablature rises an American 
eagle, carved from a block of white marble by Sidney 
Waugh, sculptor. The eagle, in excellent scale with 
the building, strikes a happy medium in its execution, 
between realism and the blocky planes of much modern 
sculpture. The glass panels in the soffit under the 
entablature and between the piers conceal the light 
source which casts a soft glow of illumination at night. 

The Constitution Avenue entrance opens into a lobby 
having walls faced with Kansas Lesina stone and ceiling 
of plaster decorated with motifs of Greek coins and a 
relief of Cybele. In the center of the marble floor is a 
bronze plaque reproducing the seal of the Board of 
Governors of the Federal Reserve. From the entrance 
lobby a corridor extends back to the C Street entrance. 
This entrance is flanked by two pylons supporting bas- 
relief figures symbolic of the United States and the 
Federal Reserve System, executed in white marble and 
designed by John Gregory. 

Interesting features of the Twentieth and Twenty- 
first Street facades are the bronze balcony railings, 
which are reproductions of those of a Philadelphia 
residence of the early 19th century. These railings are 
among the sparingly used ornamental details of the 

[ 84 ] 


Washington Doorways 

exterior. Otherwise the building is severely simple, 
depending for its architectural effect upon nature’s 
variations in color of the marble, simple moldings 
suited to marble technique, excellence in proportions 
and relationship of wall areas and window openings 
and the effective use of large building masses. 

The Federal Reserve Board was organized in 1914. 
Twenty years later it was authorized by Congress to 
acquire a site. In 1935 title was obtained to the pres¬ 
ent location. For the design of the building and the 
selection of its architect, nine prominent architects were 
invited to submit competitive drawings. The design 
placed first was that of Paul P. Cret, architect. 

The competition program called for a building in 
harmony with the Lincoln Memorial and the permanent 
buildings adjacent to that of the Federal Reserve. It 
was emphasized that esthetic appeal of the exterior 
design was to be obtained “through dignity of concep¬ 
tion, purity of line, proportion and scale rather than 
stressing decoration and monumental features,” and 
that “it must seem at home in the city.” The Com¬ 
mission of Fine Arts also prescribed white marble for 
the exterior to conform to other buildings along this 
portion of Constitution Avenue and an “architectural 
concept of dignity and permanence” to conform to the 
functions performed by the Federal Reserve Board. 

Plans and specifications for the building were ap¬ 
proved in January, 1936, and the construction contract 
for $3,484,000 let in February. The structure was 
officially opened October 20, 1937. 

The 25th anniversary of the signing of the Federal 
Reserve Act was celebrated on December 23, 1938. 
At that time a bas-relief, designed by Herbert Adams, 
sculptor, in honor of Senator Carter Glass, “defender 

[ 85 ] 


Washington Doorways 


of the Federal Reserve System,” was unveiled. The 
tablet contains a bas-relief of Senator Glass and the 
inscription: “In the Federal Reserve Act we instituted 
a great and vital banking system—to give vision and 
scope and security to commerce and—to increase the 
capabilities of our industrial life at home and among 
foreign nations.” 


[ 86 ] 


Hiram Johnson House 



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HI 

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. 


HIRAM JOHNSON HOUSE 
2ND STREET AND MARYLAND AVENUE. N. E. 

























































































Hiram Johnson House 


A house, stately, yet unpretentious, which presents 
striking contrast with the classic magnificence and 
grandeur of the Supreme Court, which it faces 


I N the triangle formed by Second Street and Mary¬ 
land Avenue N. E., there stands a cream-colored 
stucco house suggestive of the prim, domestic archi¬ 
tecture of the French Renaissance. While formality 
and dignity aptly describe its doorway, the qualities of 
hospitality and friendly welcome have been preserved. 
The doorway motif is simple, stately, definitely domes¬ 
tic in its detail and proportions, recalling architectural 
detail current during the reign of Louis XVI. Built of 
wood, its moldings and carved console brackets, which 
support the curved pediments, are characteristic of that 
material. The transom, above the six-panel door, is of 
leaded glass reminiscent of Georgian Colonial. 

Approach to the doorway is by steps, from two 
opposite directions, which meet on a common landing. 
Steps and landing are protected by a graceful, wrought- 
iron hand rail. Large urns adorn the landing on either 
side of the door. Convenient foot-scrapers have been 
placed near the lowest steps and the triangular area, 
formed by the walk, planted with shrubs and flowers is 
a fitting setting for the entranceway. 

Either side of the doorway long windows, divided 
into eight panes, extend to the floor. The lintels above 
the windows are ornamented with floral swags and 
rosettes. Wrought-iron railings, the design of which 
is characteristic of the French Empire period, protect 
the lower portion of the first-story windows. The sec- 

[ 89 ] 




Washington Doorways 

ond-story windows, divided into four panes, have lin¬ 
tels ornamented only by flat keystones, and wrought- 
iron balconies, or guard railings, of slight projection. 

The slate-covered mansard roof and dormers, the 
iron railings at windows and steps, the tall first-story 
windows, and the design of the doorway give the house 
the air of eighteenth century French Renaissance. This 
is further conveyed by the high garden wall with its 
decorative urns terminating the wall piers. From the 
street, trees, whose branches overhang the walls, sug¬ 
gest a shady garden retreat within the inclosure. 

The house was built in 1899 for C. B. Pickford. 
Senator Hiram Johnson purchased it in 1929. 


[ 90 ] 


Alexander Bell House 



ALEXANDER BELL HOUSE 
1525 THIRTY-FIFTH STREET, N. W. 








































Alexander Bell House 


A reminder of New Orleans or Charleston is seen in 
this pre-Civil War house, once the home of Alexander 
Melville Bell, father of Alexander Graham Bell 


T he iron entrance porch of the Alexander Bell 
House is the dominating and most interesting 
feature of the street facade. Essentially a covered 
balcony, this porch is narrow and is supported by cast- 
iron brackets of ornate vine and leaf design. Its iron¬ 
work, also of cast iron, is a combination of geometric 
pattern and conventionalized natural forms. The de¬ 
sign of the iron porch is somewhat reminiscent of the 
ironwork of New Orleans and Charleston and is 
characteristic of the ornamentation to be seen on 
numerous other Washington houses of the same era. 

Well above the street, the porch level is reached by 
three flights of brownstone steps guarded by iron 
handrails which terminate in castiron newels, probably 
of a somewhat later period than the porch. The door, 
with an iron grille of simple pattern framing the glass, 
is insignificant beside the two adjacent windows. These 
windows, extending to the floor and each divided into 
fifteen glass panes, at once suggest the high-ceilinged 
rooms behind them. 

The house is three stories in height and built of brick 
covered with stucco. Once a dull gray, the stucco has 
been painted a warm yellow. Second and third story 
windows are divided into twelve lights, have stone sills 
and decorative lintels painted white. The roof is flat 
and the wooden cornice also painted white, is orna¬ 
mented with brackets of a type favored in the Victorian 

[ 93 ] 




Washington Doorways 


era. Evidence of numerous additions, probably the 
alterations of successive owners, appears in the exterior 
of the house. 

Built about 1845 an d at one time home of 
Alexander Melville Bell, the inventor’s father, this 
house stands on the southeast corner of Thirty-fifth 
Street and Volta Place N. W., Georgetown. At the 
rear there is a pleasant garden and a building which at 
one time served as an experimental laboratory for 
Alexander Graham Bell. Here, it is said, he perfected 
the disk-record graphophone. Just east of the former 
laboratory on an adjacent property are two small 
wooden cottages—former slave quarters—now con¬ 
verted into one dwelling. On the other corner of 
Volta Place is the Volta Bureau, “For Increase and 
Diffusion of Knowledge Relating to the Deaf,” built in 
1893 and established in 1880 by Alexander Graham 
Bell with $10,000 he had been awarded as winner of 
the Volta Prize created by Napoleon I in honor of 
Alessandro Volta, inventor of the electric battery. 


[ 94 ] 


Lucius Tuckerman House 



LUCIUS TUCKERMAN HOUSE, I 600 I STREET, N. W, 












































Lucius Tuckerman House 


The doorway of the house at 1600 I Street, N. JV. 
recalls the JV ashing ton scene ,0/ the Gay Nineties 


I N the doorway of 1600 I Street, N. W. is to be seen 
one of the few remaining documents of the Richard¬ 
sonian period of architecture in Washington. Its de¬ 
tail and composition are of Romanesque origin, adapted 
to modern use in the western world. The doorway is 
part of an asymetrical composition forming the lower 
portion of the central dominating feature of the I 
Street facade, a feature which extends through the 
cornice at the roof line. 

The door is of massive construction, nearly five feet 
wide and about eight feet high. There are three hori¬ 
zontal panels with raised center surfaces, and egg and 
dart mouldings forming their frame. The massive 
door swings on four hand-forged ornamental strap 
hinges having a length nearly equal to the width of the 
door itself. The doorknob is of hammered iron, oval 
in shape, of ample size to be firmly grasped by the 
hand. The escutcheon, or key plate, also of iron, is of 
pierced design and secured by spike-headed bolts or 
studs. To the right of the door and inserted in the 
heavy wooden frame is an iron bell-pull. 

Just to the left of the door opening there is a small 
window set in deep stone jambs with a steep, sloping 
sill. The window opening is protected by a wrought- 
iron grille composed of a series of 32 scrolls arranged 
in units of four, eight units to a section, and four sec¬ 
tions. The design of the grille is executed with pre¬ 
cision, but with the subtle variations found in handi- 

[ 97 ] 




Washington Doorways 

craft. Above the doorway and the window a glass and 
metal piarquise shelters the door and steps, and, with 
other features of the design, tie the elements of the 
composition together as one unit. 

The principal central feature of the house and the 
masonry surrounding the doorway is built of hammer- 
dressed red sandstone which, in color and texture, 
affords a harmonious contrast with the rock-faced 
masonry which forms the high base of the facade and 
with the dull red face brick of the walls above the base. 
The lines of the door and window jambs are softened 
by gently rounded corners. The design of the door¬ 
way motif is such that the masonry around and between 
the door and window have the effect of being stone 
piers having caps which, in decorative detail and form, 
are decidedly Romanesque. Corbels, bosses and mold¬ 
ings above the doorway are ornamented with the same 
type of entwined leaf forms. 

The house was built for Lucius Tuckerman, in 1886. 
Before the erection of the Hay-Adams House, a mod¬ 
ern hotel, the Tuckerman House was separated only by 
a garden inclosed by high brick walls, from the John 
Hay House, which had been designed by H. H. Rich¬ 
ardson and built in 1885. At the same time Richardson 
also designed a house, adjoining the Hay House, for 
Henry Adams. The houses of Hay and Adams were 
of a style, based upon the Romanesque, developed by 
Richardson, an architect who was seeking to break 
away from the mid-Victorian period in which he had 
grown up as a youngster. 

Richardson’s break with the architectural taste of 
the day had a profound effect on the development of 
architecture in America. Being a capable and talented 
architect, he met with considerable success in Boston, 

[ 98 ] 


Washington Doorways 

and elsewhere. As a result, he had many followers 
and admirers. 

In the Tuckerman House is seen a dwelling of the 
Richardsonian period of architecture in America which 
was designed by Hornblower & Marshall, architects, 
contemporary with Richardson. Without question they 
had been inspired by the houses which he had designed 
in 1885 for Hay and Adams and that of H. H. Ward¬ 
er, on K Street, near Sixteenth. 

All who see the house at 1600 I Street must be im¬ 
pressed by the fact that it was designed, supervised and 
built by men thoroughly versed in the principles of 
good construction. Among other features of the house 
are the design of the copper cornice formed by the 
facing of the built-in roof gutter, the rain-water leaders 
of copper with ornamental heads and decorative spiral 
lines, the massive brick chimney, and the architectural 
treatment of the bay windows on the Sixteenth Street 
side. On the I Street side a beautiful and large ginkgo 
tree, brought from Japan as a seedling many years ago, 
extends its branches well beyond the garden wall, and 
to it clings a tenacious wistaria vine, in the spring heavy 
with blossoms and delicate perfume. 

In 1939 Annie-May Hegeman, stepdaughter of the 
late Representative Henry Kirke Porter, who had pur¬ 
chased the house in 1907, presented the property to 
the Smithsonian Institution. 


[ 99 ] 



Friendship House 



FRIENDSHIP HOUSE, 630 SO. CAROLINA AVENUE, S. E 











































































































Friendship House 


The doorway of 630 South Carolina Avenue, S. E., 
known as Friendship House, was visited hy George 
Washington, General Lafayette and President Lincoln 


I T would be difficult to find a more inviting doorway 
than the one which marks the south entrance to a 
house known for a great many years as the Maples. 
Outliving the trees for which it was named, surviving 
many remodelings and ownerships, the original part, 
now the central portion of a rambling house, is little 
changed. Of simple Early American design, its brick¬ 
work painted white, this dignified, homelike house is 
set well back from the street and is now appropriately 
known as Friendship House. 

The south doorway is typically Georgian Colonial, 
stately and classic in character and simple in its detail. 
A thin, refined pediment surmounts the semi-circular 
fan-light and six-paneled door. Broad fluted pilasters 
frame the doorway and support the broken entablature, 
bare of ornament except for the reeded panels and 
well-proportioned moldings. The design of the door¬ 
way and its material provides restrained contrast with 
the surrounding surface of brick. 

An open portico or veranda originally extended be¬ 
yond the south doorway which opened on a brick 
courtyard to the rear of the house. The upper portion 
of the portico provided a smoking gallery for men 
addicted to the weed , to avoid conteminating the house 
with the odor of burning tobacco. > > 

The first house erected on the site was a pioneer s 
cabin. The cabin, with a large surrounding acreage, 

[ 103 1 




Washington Doorways 


was purchased by William Duncanson, a British Army 
officer from India, as a tobacco plantation. Here he 
built a large frame house which he enlarged in 1796. 
George Washington described it as “a fine house in the 
woods between Capitol Hill and the Navy Yard.” 
Extravagance was responsible for the downfall of 
Duncanson and in 1809 the property was placed in the 
hands of a group of trustees. A few years later it 
became a hospital for soldiers wounded in the battle 
of Bladensburg. 

Francis Scott Key—author of The Star Spangled 
Banner —purchased the house in 1815. After a few 
years of occupancy by Key, the property passed through 
a varied series of ownerships. In 1838 it acquired the 
reputation of being haunted, following the suicide of 
the wife of one of its owners. 

In 1856 Senator John M. Clayton obtained title to 
the estate and made extensive alterations to the old 
house. It is believed that the original frame house is 
inclosed by the present brick walls. One may assume 
that the south doorway dates from the alterations 
made by Senator Clayton. At that time an east wing 
was added as a ballroom—now the Little Theater— 
with walls and ceiling decorated by Constantino Bru- 
rnidi, an Italian artist, who also painted the frescoes 
in the Capitol. 

The next occupant of the house was Louis Pourtales, 
son of a German count. He added a large wine cellar 
forty-two feet below ground, said to be patterned after 
a similar one in his German ancestral home. 

Mrs. Emily Edson Briggs, who, as “Olivia,” a 
journalist, covered the Civil War, for Forney’s Phila¬ 
delphia Press, bought the Maples in 1871. She added 
more rooms, bringing the total to twenty-one. During 

[ 104 ] 


Washington Doorways 


her ownership the original carved wooden Colonial 
fireplace mantels were replaced with marble and the 
house largely furnished with furniture imported from 
France. Mrs. J. Edson Briggs, daughter-in-law of 
“Olivia,” occupied the house until an “anonymous” 
friend, in 1937, purchased and presented the property 
to Friendship House Association. Here the association 
maintains a settlement house, providing educational and 
recreational facilities for children of the neighborhood. 


[ 105 ] 








' 


















- 




































Pan-American Union Annex 



PAN-AMERICAN UNION ANNEX 
201 EIGHTEENTH STREET, N. W. 














































































Pan-American Union Annex 


Spanish in character, the doorway of the Pan-American 
Union Annex lends a contrasting and pleasing note to 
the architecture of the Nation’s Capital 


T HE street entrance of the Pan-American Union 
Annex is the dominating feature of a facade of 
balanced but asymetrical composition. While harmoni¬ 
ous with the architecture of surrounding buildings, it 
partakes of the unusual because of its Spanish character 
in a city of essentially classic Greek and Roman 
architecture. 

The proportions, color and texture of the materials 
of the doorway are sufficient to lend it desirable em¬ 
phasis and contrast with the plain, white-stuccoed wall 
surface which forms its background. The strong but 
simple white marble frame surrounding the door open¬ 
ing has the effect of being a continuation of the rela¬ 
tively high marble base of the building. This frame is 
simply molded to soften otherwise harsh edges and is 
capped by a bold mold of considerable but well-pro¬ 
portioned projection in the spirit of Spanish architec¬ 
ture found in Mexico and throughout South America. 

A projecting hood supported by wooden brackets 
painted dark blue and roof covering of red mission tile 
protects the entrance. Access to the door, which is 
quite close to the street, is by a semi-circular driveway 
or through a wide passageway between low hedges of 
well-trimmed boxwood. 

Within the marble opening are recessed generously 
proportioned double doors of wood. The doors and 
their wooden frame are painted a rich blue. Upper 

[ 109 ] 




Washington Doorways 


panels are glazed, divided by wooden muntins and pro¬ 
tected by grilles of turned iron spindels. Below these 
panels are rectangular panels, treated in simple manner 
by a series of flat surfaces. A large ring-pull of iron 
is secured at the top and center of each panel. The 
bottom rails of both doors are ornamented by five 
decorative iron studs. 

To the left of the doorway is a small window 
protected by a highly decorative iron grille, characteris¬ 
tically Spanish in design. At the right of the entrance, 
appears the inscription cut into the marble base of the 
annex: “Erected 1912 by Andrew Carnegie for the 
Pan-American Union. John Barrett, Director General; 
Albert Kelsey and Paul P. Cret, Architects.” 

The Pan-American Union Annex, with its plain white 
walls, well-spaced window openings, colorful decorative 
cornice and squat dominating doorway is a decidedly 
interesting note in Washington’s architecture. While 
its design reflects the spirit of a semi-public Spanish 
building to a degree, its domestic quality predominates. 
As such, it proclaims its purpose, for it is the residence 
of the Director General of the Pan-American Union. 

Largely concealed from public view, the Annex con¬ 
nects with the main building of the Pan-American 
Union by^the Blue Aztec Garden. In this garden is 
a quiet pool, lined with tile mosaic of blue, reflecting 
the east loggia of the annex and the planting and trees 
of the garden. At the west end of the pool is a 
reproduction of an ancient Aztec figure. 

The Pan-American Union was proposed by James 
G. Blaine while Secretary of State, in 1881. As the 
International Bureau of American Republics, it held 
its first conference in Washington in 1889-90. In 1903 
the bureau approved a plan to erect a building in 

[ no] 


Washington Doorways 


Washington. Andrew Carnegie contributed $850,000 
toward the construction of the building, which, with its 
grounds, cost more than $1,000,000. The structure 
was dedicated in 1910, at which time the name of the 
bureau was changed to the Pan-American Union. Here 
is carried on the work of developing closer cultural, 
commercial and financial relations among twenty-one 
American republics to promote friendly intercourse 
and peace. 


[mi 









National Academy of Sciences 



NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES 
CONSTITUTION AVENUE AND 2 I ST STREET, N. W, 








































































































































National Academy of Sciences 

Established in 1863, the National Academy of Sciences 
was housed by the Smithsonian Institution until dedi¬ 
cation of its own building by President Coolidge in 
April, IQ24 


E pisodes in the progress of science from Aristotle to 
Pasteur are depicted in eight panels of the bronze 
entrance doors of the National Academy of Science. 
These doors slide back into pockets at either side of 
the entrance and are too rarely seen by the public, 
which ordinarily passes through swinging glass doors. 
The doors are deeply recessed in a strong and imposing 
frame, of white Dover marble, whose design is of 
Greek inspiration, freely interpreted by a master 
designer and architect. 

The entire entrance motif is severely simple and 
dignified and at the same time exceedingly refined and 
bold in its execution. A series of raised rosettes, so 
delicately carved that they are barely more than discs, 
cast scalloped shadows and form a decorative band at 
either side and across the top. A single Greek molding 
casts a strong shadow across the whole. The entrance 
motif terminates in a highly decorative pediment, sym¬ 
bolic of the evolution of man. In the pediment various 
forms of early life are shown, while conventionalized 
owls at either end typify the knowledge and wisdom of 
scientists throughout the ages. At either side of the 
entrance pierced marble grilles screen two windows and 
form interesting decorative features of the facade. 

The entrance to the building is emphasized by a 
broad, pyramidal flight of steps, flanked with decora- 

[115] 




Washington Doorways 

tive lighting pylons. Well-conceived landscaping, ad¬ 
ditional flights of steps and a reflecting pool, lined with 
blue-green tile made under direction of the architect, 
add to the dignified setting of the academy. 

Bertram Grosvenor Goodhue, architect of the Na¬ 
tional Academy of Sciences, wanted the building erect¬ 
ed on a hilltop on Sixteenth Street, opposite the French 
Embassy to avoid a hampering effect by proximity to 
the classic buildings on the Mall. His first sketches 
were made with the former location in mind. It was 
too far out to meet with the approval of the National 
Commission of Fine Arts, however, and a block was 
purchased on Constitution Avenue between Twenty-first 
and Twenty-second Streets, almost directly across from 
the Lincoln Memorial. So keen was Goodhue’s dis¬ 
appointment over the final selection of the site, coupled 
with his “deeply rooted dislike of rigorous symmetry 
and cold formality in classic styles” that only the great¬ 
est amount of persuasion resulted in new sketches for 
the building. 

Discarding the customary long row of columns “sup¬ 
porting nothing but the cornice,” Goodhue undertook 
the development of a fagade of extreme simplicity and 
refinement. For effect its design depends upon a deli¬ 
cate cornice above the frieze containing, in Greek, the 
following quotation from Aristotle, “The search for 
truth is in one way hard and in another easy. For it is 
evident that no one can master it fully nor miss it 
wholly. But each adds a little to our knowledge of 
nature, and from all the facts assembled there arises a 
certain grandeur.” 

Large, plain wall surfaces are used in the fagade and 
they are relieved only by Lee Lawrie’s fine bronzes and 
by spare and delicate stone carving in the form of flat 

[ 11 6 ] 


Washington Doorways 


pilasters and pierced grilles. The beauty of the design 
is enhanced by the judicious use of rich materials— 
white marble and bronze with its patina of green. 

Lawrie’s contribution to the facade included the 
bronze cheneau, or cresting at the roofline, composed 
of owls and lynx, symbolic of wisdom and observation. 
Bronze panels above the first story windows, also by 
Lee Lawrie, depict a procession of outstanding scien¬ 
tists from ancient to modern times. 


[ “7 ] 


1 





Lent ha ll Houses 


I 


LENTHALL HOUSES 
612-614 NINETEENTH STREET, N. W. 
































































































































Lenthall Houses 


Built about 1800, these twin doorways recall a tragic 
incident in the building of the Capitol 


F rom a distance the doorways to Nos. 612 and 614 
Nineteenth Street, N. W. might readily be mistaken 
for a broad, generous entrance to a simple house of 
Georgian architecture. Closer inspection would dis¬ 
close that there are really two houses having separate 
doors which, through their architectural treatment, ap¬ 
pear to be one. 

The houses were quite likely built about 1800—or 
possibly a few years before. The doorways, however, 
show unmistakable evidence of remodeling at a later 
date, since the detail of their cornice and the support¬ 
ing brackets border on mid-Victorian character. At the 
same time the door frames and pilasters are more 
nearly those of the Georgian era. 

The doors are probably those of the original houses, 
being well molded and paneled in typically Georgian 
manner. The upper panels are glazed and at present 
filled with matching lace panels of interesting pattern, 
probably hand-made to fill the openings. The doors 
are painted blue-green and trimmed with hardware 
of brass. They are approached by a long flight of 
stone steps leading from the sidewalk and protected by 
wrought-iron handrails. 

Ample evidence supports the fact that the two houses 
were built at the same time. However, one is led to 
speculate as to the reason why certain details of the 
exterior are not the same. Alterations by various in¬ 
dividualistic owners are a ready explanation of differ- 

[ 121 ] 




Washington Doorways 

ence in treatment above the window heads and the use 
and omission of shutters, but do not explain other minor 
differences. Roofs, cornice, dormers, brickwork and 
the detail of the two doorways, however, are the same. 
The high terrace in front effectively reduces the ap¬ 
parent height of the houses, adding to their restful 
horizontal proportions and architectural lines. 

While these houses are generally known as the 
Lenthall houses, it is unlikely that the Lenthalls ever 
lived in them for any length of time, if at all. How¬ 
ever, Lenthall being an architect of considerable ability, 
no doubt designed the houses and supervised their 
construction. 

The site is of historic interest as being the approxi¬ 
mate location selected by Thomas Jefferson for the 
Capitol Building in what was known as “Hamburg” or 
“Funkstown,” a 130-acre development laid out by 
Jacob Funk in 1768 into building lots and streets. 

In the early 1790s, the lots were disposed of through 
the sale of lottery tickets. In 1800, John Lenthall ob¬ 
tained title to the property on which the two houses at 
612-614 Nineteenth Street now stand. In 1808 Lent¬ 
hall and his wife Jane conveyed the southermost of the 
two houses to William Francis, who promptly deeded 
the property away on the following day. 

No. 612 continued to change ownership every few 
years and has undergone numerous changes, especially 
as respects the interior. Much has been done in recent 
years to restore the house to its original character. 

No. 614 remained in possession of the Lenthall 
family or its direct descendants until 1902. The house 
has since been restored and modernized, but its original 
architectural features largely preserved. 

1 122 ] 


Washington Doorways 

According to Maude Burr Morris, in the records of 
the Columbia Historical Society, John Lenthall, born 
in England in 1762, came from a line of distinguished 
ancestors, his father being Speaker in the House of 
Commons. He had been trained as a carpenter and 
when he came to Washington in 179 2 at the age of 30, 
was recognized as a superior draftsman and an archi¬ 
tect of ability. When Latrobe was placed in charge of 
the construction of the Capitol in 1803, he selected 
Lenthall to be “clerk of works and principal surveyor.” 

In anticipation of the trial of Aaron Burr for con¬ 
spiracy, orders were given to open the Supreme Court 
room in the north wing of the Capitol. The masonry 
of the vaults above the courtroom had not had time 
to set and Lenthall seriously objected to the removal of 
the wooden centering supporting them. He was over¬ 
ruled and on September 19, 1808, the centering was 
removed, Lenthall himself lowering the last middle 
support. There was a loud crack, workmen escaped 
out of the windows or under the adjoining vault, but 
Lenthall, who apparently by a single step could have 
saved himself, was buried under many tons of brick 
and instantly killed. 

John Lenthall, buried with military honors, left be¬ 
hind him a widow and three small children—Mary, 
Elizabeth and John. Some fifty-five years later, during 
the Civil War, the son John became head of the Bureau 
of Construction, United States Navy. 

In 1821 Elizabeth Lenthall married William James 
Stone, an engraver, who in 1823 was commissioned by 
John Quincy Adams, Secretary of State, to engrave a 
copper facsimile of the original Declaration of Inde¬ 
pendence. Stone retired from the engraving business 
in 1840 and later achieved great success as a sculptor. 

[ 123 ] 


Washington Doorways 


Mary Lenthall is said to have been a talented artist, 
accomplished in drawing, painting and music. At eighty 
years of age she learned to use her left hand for the 
exquisite painting of flowers in oil and water colors. 
She passed away shortly before her ninetieth birthday 
anniversary. In 1853 Mary Lenthall had acquired the 
property at 614 Nineteenth Street, N. W. By her will, 
made in 1889, the property passed to her brother’s 
grandson, John Lenthall Waggaman, who retained 
ownership until 1902, at which time it passed out of 
the Lenthall family for the first time in 100 years. 

The site of the “John Lenthall Home for Widows,” 
which adjoins No. 614, was the portion of the estate 
inherited by Elizabeth Lenthall. The Home was a 
joint gift of the two sisters as a memorial to their 
father—killed in the building of the Capitol. 


[ I2 4 ] 


Christopher Lehman House 



CHRISTOPHER LEHMAN HOUSE, 3049 M STREET, N. W, 



















































































































Christopher Lehman House 


John Boone, relative of Daniel Boone, once owned the 
property on which this house was built by Christopher 
Lehman in 1764. 


T he doorway to this quaint house is as unpretentious 
as the house itself. In fact, it would scarcely be 
noticed except for its prominent approach in the form 
of a high wooden stoop. Distinction is assured this 
little house, however, by its decidedly domestic charac¬ 
ter, its stonework painted yellow, and its sloping roof 
painted red and accented by two narrow simple dormer 
windows painted white. One end of the house now 
abuts a brick building; the other end is exposed to view 
and boasts a massive chimney. 

On an alignment almost with the sidewalk, entrance 
to the house is protected by a simple and finely wrought 
iron fence of slender design. Steps, with balustrade of 
homelike appearance lead to a rail enclosed landing. 
To the right of the upper entrance a cast-iron disk, 
bearing the figure of a hand-pumper, indicates to the 
observant passerby that the owner of the house was at 
one time protected by a bona-fide fire insurance com¬ 
pany. These fire insurance markers, now extremely 
rare, are greatly coveted by antique collectors. 

A sturdy flagpole bracket on the right hand newel 
post of the landing leading to the upper entrance is a 
most appropriate bit of detail. 

Washington’s town house in Alexandria—demolish¬ 
ed some years ago—is said to have been patterned 
after this typically pre-Revolutionary building. This is 
largely conjecture since it is a type of story-and-a-half 

[ 127 ] 




Washington Doorways 

house—with entrances from both the street level and 
from an elevated stoop, windows divided in small 
panes, low eave lines and steep-pitched roof—much in 
favor with builders of that period. 

Referred to as “Washington’s engineering head¬ 
quarters,” it is believed that plans for the “Federal 
City nearby” were made by him here. It is reputed 
that it served as headquarters for Pierre L’Enfant 
when making surveys and drawing plans for the future 
Capitol. Also, Major Elicott is thought to have carried 
on here the work that L’Enfant, in indignation, is said 
to have left unfinished. 

Fact and fiction regarding the old stone house in the 
3000 block of Georgetown’s M Street have been weigh¬ 
ed but never balanced. Even Congress couldn’t agree 
that the nuggets which seeped through its fact-finding 
sieve were of sufficient value to warrant dedication of 
this house as a national monument. However, the 
Goddard family, owners of the property for more than 
fifty years, have preserved it as an historic shrine. 


[ 128] 


White Horse Tavern 


WHITE HORSE TAVERN 
1524 THIRTY-THIRD STREET, N. W. 













































White Horse Tavern 


Built about ijji when “George Town” was an impor¬ 
tant commercial center on the “Potomak” the old 
fVhite Horse Tavern, nozv a private residence, retains 
much of its original quaintness 


B efore the Revolution, tobacco and cotton drays 
rumbled through this one-time driveway entrance 
to the rear courtyard of the White Horse Tavern. 
Footweary horses were rested while teamsters imbibed 
the spirits and conviviality of the taproom to the left 
of the entrance. Since then, the old tavern has become 
a private dwelling and the brick archway entrance, now 
a doorway, has been filled in with woodwork of an old 
door transplanted from Alexandria. 

On a level with the brick sidewalk this door is a 
harmonious addition to the simple but picturesque ex¬ 
terior of the house. Above the door is a rowlock brick 
arch, partly vine-covered. The delicately molded wood 
trim around the masonry opening, refined in detail, is 
painted white. A small wooden keystone, part of the 
wood trim, is centered in the arch above the fan-light. 
An interesting bit of detail is noted in the reed and 
bead mold used between the wood trim and brick arch. 
So delicately is the woodwork of the trim in the arch 
paneled that the panels are almost flush with the sur¬ 
rounding surface. 

Carried down the sides of the opening in the shape 
of two small modified Doric columns, the trim within 
the arch is supported on waist-high pedestals, paneled 
and beautifully molded—likely molded and turned by 
hand. The fluted columns, standing free from the 

[ 131 ] 




Washington Doorways 

masonry, also are separated from the wood frame of 
the door proper. 

Included in the door frame are an elliptical fanlight 
divided by wooden muntins, narrow transom bar, side 
lights divided into four panes each, and wooden panels 
below. Each of the pair of wooden doors has six 
panels. Small vines trail leisurely over the doorway, 
from earth pockets in the sidewalk on either side of 
the doorway. 

Of brick laid Flemish bond, the house is painted a 
good dull brick-red and built out to the street line. 
Wood trim and shutters are painted white and window 
sash divided into twelve small panes. The tin roof, 
painted red, is pitched and the eaves are simply, though 
no less interestingly, finished. The cornice is formed 
by brick of slight projection and a row of brick set at 
an angle and, being partially concealed by the gutter, 
escapes the notice of those who hurry by too quickly. 
A down-spout head collects water from two roofs of 
different height, lending a further picturesque note to 
the street front. 


[ 132 ] 


Octagon House 







\ / \S// 


OCTAGON HOUSE, 1741 NEW YORK AVENUE, N. W. 
































































































































Octagon House 


Octagon House, home of the American Institute of 
Architects, once served as a temporary White House 


P aradoxically, Octagon House is hexagonal—its 
doorway built in a circular tower, its door sur¬ 
mounted by a circular fanlight, and its history sur¬ 
rounded by more ghost stories than, perhaps, any other 
house in Washington. The ghost of Colonel Tayloe’s 
daughter, who according to legend, threw herself down 
the great stairway because of thwarted love, is said to 
be still wandering about in the candlelight; to say noth¬ 
ing of the ghosts who convene in the now walled-up 
underground passages to the White House and the 
Potomac River. For the ghost-conscious, there’s the 
gossip that Dolly Madison still holds court in the 
garden at midnight. 

With a keynote of lavishness, official society was 
entertained at Octagon House from 1800 to 1828. It 
took charming Dolly Madison, as hostess, however, to 
bring social power to its most glamorous heights after 
President Madison was asked to use Octagon House as 
a temporary White House after the burning of the 
Executive Mansion by the British in 1814. 

President Madison signed the proclamation giving 
the terms of the treaty of Ghent—which ended the 
War of 1812—in an upper room of Octagon House. 
Following the Civil War, it was used as a military 
hospital. Business was pressing uptown and the fash¬ 
ionable old house, after occupancy by a succession of 
tenants, stood a rather decrepit reminder of better days. 
In 1902 the American Institute of Architects came 

[ 135 ] 




Washington Doorways 

to the rescue—purchasing, restoring Octagon House, 
and making it a suitable place for the Institute’s head¬ 
quarters, Stanford White, famous architect, helped 
instigate the movement to restore the house. 

Original plans for Octagon House were made by Dr. 
William Thornton, designer of the Capitol, in 1799- 
1800. Of English brick, it is in excellent state of 
preservation and the exterior has had but one impor¬ 
tant change—a sloping roof and cornice replacing the 
original flat deck roof and attic parapet. Delicate 
handrails and newel-post lamps enhance a well-worn 
flight of steps leading to the doorway. 

Large wall areas, curves of elliptical rooms, and 
spiral stairways emphasize the spaciousness of the 
house. Opposite the entrance door a delicate archway 
opens into the wide stair hall that gives access to what 
was the dining room on the left and drawing room on 
the right. A spiral stairway leads to the two floors 
above. From a large Palladian window on the stair- 
landing the site of slave quarters and rear kitchens can 
be seen. Directly beneath the stairs a door leads into a 
walled garden with brick walks and old boxwoods. 

Simple white plaster cornices decorate the interior 
walls—of either buff or gray. Brass trim is used for 
knobs and locks on mahogany doors. 

In designing the mantels, Coade, famous London 
decorator, made elaborate use of white putty-stucco. 
In the original drawing room, a panel decoration in 
bas-relief depicts the Feast of Bacchus. The former 
dining-room mantel is far less ornate. 

As in other houses of the late Georgian period of 
architecture in America, the attractiveness of the design 
of Octagon House ,rests largely on the proportion and 
spacing of its windows and wall areas. Further inter- 

[136] 


Washington Doorways 

est was achieved by the use of delicate and finely 
wrought and graceful railings at the second story win¬ 
dows and porch steps, of restrained design, characteris¬ 
tic of the style of the Brothers Adam. 

The entrance porch and doorway are noted for the 
excellence of their proportions and refinement of detail. 
Ionic columns and pilasters of wood support the full 
Ionic entablature of the entrance porch. The door is 
deeply recessed between paneled jambs of exquisite 
proportion, detail and workmanship. A semicircular 
fanlight over the door served, not only as an interesting 
architectural feature of the exterior, but also to admit 
soft diffused light into the entrance hall. 


[ 137 ] 



/ 


H. B. IVarder House 


s 



H. B. WARDER HOUSE, NATIONAL MUSEUM 

























































H. B. Warder House 


H. H. Richardson, one of America’s great architects, 
designed the Warder House in 1885 


I N the west courtyard of the National Museum, and 
preserved for all time, is to be seen the doorway of 
one of the last buildings to be designed by H. H. 
Richardson, famous architect of the 70s and early 80s. 
This doorway was removed from the house of B. H. 
Warder, built in 1885, which formerly stood on K 
Street, N. W. near Sixteenth. 

In 1902 George Oakley Totten, architect and pupil 
of Richardson, purchased the material used in the 
Warder House from a wrecking company. With the 
exception of the doorway, this material he used for the 
facade of an apartment house at 2633 Sixteenth Street, 
reproducing the original facade of the Warder House. 

The great expanse of limestone which framed the 
doorway of the old Warder House was heavily tooled 
to provide a rough contrasting surface for the more 
finely dressed and highly ornamented doorway within 
the massive archway. As usual in Richardson’s hey¬ 
day, the detail is Romanesque. The columns are 
sturdy, bases heavy, caps richly ornamented with sharp, 
crisp carving and the reveals deep and impressive. 
Rich, interlacing and intertwining decoration, with tell¬ 
ing effect, ornaments the mouldings and surfaces of the 
arch in strong contrast to the simple, plain surfaces. 
It was the work of a master and not to be copied by 
amateurs in the art. 

The Warder House doorway must make all who 
view it wonder as to what manner of man this fellow 

[ 141 ] 




Washington Doorways 


Richardson could have been. Born on a plantation in 
Louisiana in 1838, he was a descendant of one of 
Bermuda’s early settlers. His father was a cotton 
broker in New Orleans and Henry Hobson Richardson 
was named for the senior partner of his father’s firm, 
Henry Hobson & Co. 

Educated in both public and private schools in New 
Orleans, the University of Louisiana, and Harvard, 
Richardson’s decision to become an architect was made 
after entrance to the latter school. Early adept in 
both mathematics and drawing, he had intended to 
become a civil engineer. With the reversal of his plans 
came study at the I^cole des Beaux Arts in Paris, and 
not until Civil War days did grim reality cast a shadow 
over the heretofore carefree existence of the gay, popu¬ 
lar and affluent young student from New Orleans. 

In 1862, less secure in finance than fortitude, he re¬ 
turned to Boston, only to decide that Paris held the 
best opportunties for the launching of an architectural 
practice. In the office of Theodore Labrouste, he came 
under the influence of French architects thoroughly 
imbued with the doctrines of Neo-Grec rationalism. 
During this time his school work suffered and he was 
never awarded the coveted diploma. The intervening 
years of hard work were believed to have been a con¬ 
tributing cause to the invalidism that afflicted him the 
rest of his life. 

Returning again to Boston in 1866, two competitions 
for churches in New England were promptly won, and 
Richardson’s reputation grew. From 1870, after two 
successful partnerships, his practice increased with great 
rapidity throughout the East. 

It was not surprising that he should win the Brattle 
Street Church (Boston) competition in 1870, nor the 

[ 142 ] 


Washington Doorways 

Trinity Church competition, which made his reputation 
Nation-wide two years later. With Leopold Eidlitz 
and Frederick Law Olmstead, this genius, who was fast 
setting the architectural fashion that prevailed in the 
Eastern States from 1880 until the Chicago World’s 
Fair of 1893, was appointed, in 1870, to finish the 
building and grounds for New York State’s Capitol, 
begun some years before. 

Swerving more and more from ecclesiastical archi¬ 
tecture and turning increasingly to modern problems, 
Richardson was once heard to say, “The things I want 
most to design are a grain elevator and the interior of 
a great river steamboat.” 

Curiously, it was during his lifetime that Richardson 
was acclaimed and admired as a genius. Violent reac¬ 
tion, however, followed his death, in 1886. By many 
his work was thought to be “unsuited” to America. 
Others termed it “too expensive,” ‘too personal.” The 
“Richardsonian” style failed to survive the conquering 
renaissance of classicism that came after the Chicago 
World’s Fair of 1893. However, his influence on 
architecture in America had telling effect. 

Charles F. McKim and Stanford White worked in 
Richardson’s office for several years and his influence 
in the handling of materials, the brilliance of his plans 
and his rationalism were apparent in the early work of 
the firm of McKim, Mead & White. 

Many of Richardson’s houses reflect a conflict be¬ 
tween fashion and a desire to be strikingly different, 
resulting in a gay, but, at the same time, often depress¬ 
ing heaviness. The Marshall Field Building in Chicago 
and the Pittsburgh Court House and Jail, designed 
by Richardson, are said to have been his favorites. 
That he sought always to achieve picturesqueness even 

[ 143 ] 


Washington Doorways 


in monumental work is seen in the City Hall, Albany, 
New York, built in 1880. 

Richardson lived gayly and well and enjoyed cham¬ 
pagne and the wearing of bright yellow vests. He was 
a fellow of the American Institute of Architects, Ame¬ 
rican Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Archaeological 
Institute of America and, just before his death, was 
elected honorary and corresponding member of the 
Royal Institute of British Architects. 

One writer has said of him, “To a generation inter¬ 
ested in romance, Richardson was the great romanticist; 
to wartime America interested primarily in individual 
revolt and individual creation, he was the first Ameri¬ 
can architectural rebel; to critics who seek for rational¬ 
ism and functional honesty he is the first American 
functionalist. Perhaps this is the greatest and truest 
criterion of the depth and power of his genius—fhat 
to successive groups, with varying demands, he nas 
seemed to be the first great American example of the 
qualities that they seek.” 



[ 144 ] 









































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